IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 532 

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 18, 2015 

Mr. TURNER (for himself, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. JORDAN, Mr. GIBSON, Mr. 

BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. BISHOP

of Utah, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Mr. GIBBS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Dayton Peace 

Accords. 

Whereas, on December 14, 1995, the general framework 

agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, known 

as the Dayton Peace Accords, ended a conflict that 

threatened to destabilize Europe and resulted in the 

death of approximately 250,000 people, and the displacement of more than 2,000,000 men, women, and children; 

Whereas negotiations began on November 1, 1995, at 

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and 

after 21 days of negotiations, the leaders of Bosnia, 

Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia acquiesced to a peace 

settlement that would halt conflicts that had brought deVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Nov 18, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR532.IH HR532

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•HRES 532 IH 

struction and ruin to Bosnia and Herzegovina since April 

1992; 

Whereas previous attempts to negotiate peace in Bosnia and 

Herzegovina had been unsuccessful and coercion for lasting peace by world powers, particularly the United States 

and Russia, finally forced the three sides into negotiations in Dayton, Ohio; 

Whereas the United States negotiating team lead by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke guided peace negotiations endorsed by members of the European Union (EU) and 

Russian Federation; 

Whereas 21 days of intense negotiations occurring at the 

Hope Hotel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base brought 

hope and an opportunity for peace; 

Whereas the negotiations succeeded, against all predictions, 

due to outstanding leadership, determination of all involved, mutual desire for a peaceful resolution, and the 

extensive community support; 

Whereas Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was chosen as the 

site of negotiations due to its diversity and security, 

which offered an environment where the warring parties 

could focus on negotiating peace out of the spotlight of 

the media and away from distracting geopolitical pressures; 

Whereas the Dayton community unexpectedly became part of 

the process as its people became proud to be part of history, holding candlelight vigils, placing ‘‘candles of peace’’ 

in their front windows, congratulating and praying for 

the negotiators, forming a human peace chain around 

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and continuing to 


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study peace and human rights based on the community’s 

experiences hosting these historic negotiations; 

Whereas negotiators highlighted Ohio’s ethnic diversity to 

show the warring parties that people from disparate ethnic histories could live everyday life in peace; 

Whereas the Dayton Peace Accords provided a framework 

and common agreement to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) implementation and stabilization 

force missions which provided security for the citizens of 

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia; 

Whereas the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, established in 

2006, remains the only literary peace prize awarded in 

the United States, and continues the legacy of the 1995 

Dayton Peace Accords by honoring authors who write 

about peace and whose work provides enduring literary 

value; 

Whereas the Dayton International Peace Museum in downtown Dayton, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, is 

one of the few community-based institutions with a focus 

on peace in the United States, and the Museum honors 

Dayton’s history as the host of the 1995 Dayton Peace 

Accords, offering nonpartisan educational programs and 

exhibits featuring themes of nonviolent conflict resolution, social justice issues, international relations, and 

peace; 

Whereas the Dayton, Ohio, community supported the peace 

negotiations and worked to create a strong, lasting relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina by hosting numerous visiting delegations, creating a sister city relationship 

with Sarajevo, and hosting an international anniversary 

commemoration; 


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Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina received a conditional 

Membership Action Plan to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pending continued progress on 

reforms, and deployed troops with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2009 through the end of 

the mission last year, and continue to support NATO and 

its allies through the deployment of troops for the 

NATO-led Resolute Support Mission; 

Whereas Croatia successfully became a NATO member in 

2009 and a European Union (EU) member in 2013, and 

formerly deployed troops with the ISAF, and is currently 

supporting the Resolute Support mission; 

Whereas the Montenegrin Parliament declared independence 

from Serbia on June 3, 2006, and thus created a multiethnic country with a viable economy, professional military, and democratic institutions, and has a Membership 

Action Plan to join NATO, and has deployed troops currently participating in the Resolute Support mission; 

Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro 

continue to fight alongside NATO and the United States 

Armed Forces to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to 

others; 

Whereas Serbia reached an agreement on normalizing relations with Kosovo in 2013, and was accepted as a European Union (EU) membership candidate in 2014, and 

continues to implement changes on the path to full EU 

membership, and Serbia’s strong efforts to arrest the last 

2 indicted war criminals sought by the International 

Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was successful; 


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Whereas the entire State of Ohio has contributed to stability 

and prosperity in the Balkan region by fostering an exemplary relationship between the Ohio National Guard 

and the Serbian Armed Forces; and 

Whereas the Dayton Peace Accords effectively ended the conflict, created a multi-ethnic country in the Balkans, and 

addressed topics critical to the future of Bosnia and 

Herzegovina, including regional stabilization, a constitutional framework, the repatriation of refugees, and internal security: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commends Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 

3 significant progress it has made over the past 20 

4 years on the implementation of the Dayton Peace 

5 Accords; 

6 (2) welcomes and encourages the aspiration of 

7 Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a member of the 

8 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); 

9 (3) reaffirms the importance of the successful 

10 participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eu11 ropean integration process for the future freedom 

12 and prosperity of its citizens; 

13 (4) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 

14 Herzegovina to continue reforms on economic and 

15 constitutional issues; 

16 (5) encourages the international community to 

17 gather for a Dayton Peace Accords II in order to reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Nov 18, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR532.IH HR532

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1 affirm our commitment to lasting peace in the Bal2 kans; and 

3 (6) recognizes the role of the State of Ohio as 

4 well as the Greater Dayton community in fostering 

5 and promoting the Dayton Peace Accords and its 

6 ideals, and continuing to support diplomacy, secu7 rity, and peace around the world. 

Æ 


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