IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1163 

Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 

Mr. TURNER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

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 Bosnian Serbs to stop grave human rights abuses, which led 

to ceasefire negotiations and the peace accords; 


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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 Ambassador Holbrooke in 2011, the Lifetime Achievement 

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


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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 House of Representatives— 

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; 

11 (3) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 

12 Herzegovina to continue pursuing NATO and EU 

13 membership; 


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1 (4) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 

2 Herzegovina to continue its progress towards solving 

3 its constitutional issues and improving its economic 

4 policy as it advances towards NATO and EU mem5 berships; 

6 (5) reiterates the importance of the Dayton 

7 Peace Accords as the basis of constitutional reform 

8 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the promotion of po9 litical, economic, legal, and religious equality 

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

11 (6) urges the Government of Bosnia and 

12 Herzegovina to pursue constitutional reforms, need13 ed to reconcile the past to seek empathy and respect 

14 as foundations to build a common future; 

15 (7) urges the United States Government to 

16 work closely with the governments of the countries 

17 that border Bosnia and Herzegovina—especially 

18 those who are signatories of the Dayton Peace Ac19 cords—to support full implementation of the Sta20 bilization and Association Agreement between the 

21 EU and the Balkan States, which requires regional 

22 cooperation; and 

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

24 Dayton community for their role in fostering the 

25 Dayton Peace Accords, and for continuing to supVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1163.IH HR1163

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1 port diplomacy, security, and peace around the 

2 world. 

Æ 


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