III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 729 

Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2020 

Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. PORTMAN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

DECEMBER 18, 2020 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace 

Accords. 

Whereas December 14, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of 

the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia 

and Herzegovina and brought peace to Bosnia and 

Herzegovina; 

Whereas ethnic cleansing and concentration camps were used 

as a tool of war against Bosnian Muslim men, women, 

and children, culminating in the July 1995 genocide at 

Srebrenica, where 8,000 Muslim men and teenagers were 

detained and killed; 

Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 

and the United States initiated airstrikes against BosVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:58 Dec 19, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR729.ATS SR729

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nian Serbs to stop grave human rights abuses, which led 

to ceasefire negotiations and the peace accords; 

Whereas negotiations began on November 1, 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, led by 

then-negotiator Richard Holbrooke and then-Secretary of 

State Warren Christopher, with Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic ́, President of the Republic of Serbia Slobodan Milosˇevic ́, President of the Republic of Croatia Franjo Tudjman, European Union Special Representative Carl Bildt, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Igor Ivanov, and representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, 

and Italy; 

Whereas, after days of extensive discussions, a historic peace 

agreement was signed on December 14, 1995, to halt the 

conflict and bring peace to the region; 

Whereas, despite seemingly insurmountable differences in 

opinions, the negotiations succeeded due to dedicated foreign service professionals, a common yearning for a 

peaceful resolution, and an outpouring of support from 

the global community; 

Whereas the General Framework Agreement for Peace in 

Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton 

Peace Accords, laid the groundwork for NATO and European Union (EU) stabilization missions over the past 25 

years, which have allowed the citizens of Bosnia and 

Herzegovina to live peacefully and prosper; 

Whereas the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, established in 

2006, remains the only literary peace prize awarded in 

the United States and recognizes the power of the written word to promote peace, and after the death of AmVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:58 Dec 19, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR729.ATS SR729

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bassador Holbrooke in 2011, the Lifetime Achievement 

Award was renamed the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award; 

Whereas the peace negotiations were strongly supported by 

the City of Dayton, Ohio, its leaders, and community, 

creating strong relationships between all parties involved, 

including a sister city relationship with Sarajevo; 

Whereas the United States Government reaffirms support for 

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and upholds the 

commitment to equality for all ethnicities according to 

the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia 

and Herzegovina; and 

Whereas, since the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, the 

Government and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina have 

been working in partnership with the international community towards building a peaceful and democratic society based on the rule of law, respect for human rights, 

and a free-market economy: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns human rights abuses that took 

3 place during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

4 and reconfirms the joint United States and EU com5 mitment to promote and protect human rights, de6 mocracy, and the rule of law worldwide; 

7 (2) commends the commitment of the Govern8 ment and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to 

9 peace and cooperation 25 years after the Dayton 

10 Peace Accords; 


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1 (3) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 

2 Herzegovina to continue pursuing NATO and EU 

3 membership; 

4 (4) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 

5 Herzegovina to continue its progress towards solving 

6 its constitutional issues and improving its economic 

7 policy as it advances towards NATO and EU mem8 berships; 

9 (5) reiterates the importance of the Dayton 

10 Peace Accords as the basis of constitutional reform 

11 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the promotion of po12 litical, economic, legal, and religious equality 

13 through the goals and values laid out by the EU; 

14 (6) urges the Government of Bosnia and 

15 Herzegovina to pursue constitutional reforms, need16 ed to reconcile the past to seek empathy and respect 

17 as foundations to build a common future; 

18 (7) urges the United States Government to 

19 work closely with the governments of the countries 

20 that border Bosnia and Herzegovina—especially 

21 those who are signatories of the Dayton Peace Ac22 cords—to support full implementation of the Sta23 bilization and Association Agreement between the 

24 EU and the Balkan States, which requires regional 

25 cooperation; and 


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1 (8) recognizes the State of Ohio and the greater 

2 Dayton community for their role in fostering the 

3 Dayton Peace Accords, and for continuing to sup4 port diplomacy, security, and peace around the 

5 world. 

Æ 


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