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 res-
olution; 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 displace-
ment 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 de-
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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 last-
ing peace by world powers, particularly the United States 
and Russia, finally forced the three sides into negotia-
tions in Dayton, Ohio; 
Whereas the United States negotiating team lead by Ambas-
sador Richard Holbrooke guided peace negotiations en-
dorsed 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 in-
volved, 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 pres-
sures; 
Whereas the Dayton community unexpectedly became part of 
the process as its people became proud to be part of his-
tory, 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 eth-
nic histories could live everyday life in peace; 
Whereas the Dayton Peace Accords provided a framework 
and common agreement to the North Atlantic Treaty Or-
ganization (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 down-
town 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 resolu-
tion, social justice issues, international relations, and 
peace; 
Whereas the Dayton, Ohio, community supported the peace 
negotiations and worked to create a strong, lasting rela-
tionship with Bosnia and Herzegovina by hosting numer-
ous 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 Trea-
ty Organization (NATO) pending continued progress on 
reforms, and deployed troops with the International Secu-
rity 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 multi- 
ethnic country with a viable economy, professional mili-
tary, and democratic institutions, and has a Membership 
Action Plan to join NATO, and has deployed troops cur-
rently 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 rela-
tions with Kosovo in 2013, and was accepted as a Euro-
pean 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 suc-
cessful; 
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Whereas the entire State of Ohio has contributed to stability 
and prosperity in the Balkan region by fostering an ex-
emplary relationship between the Ohio National Guard 
and the Serbian Armed Forces; and 
Whereas the Dayton Peace Accords effectively ended the con-
flict, created a multi-ethnic country in the Balkans, and 
addressed topics critical to the future of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, including regional stabilization, a constitu-
tional framework, the repatriation of refugees, and inter-
nal security: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commends Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 
significant progress it has made over the past 20 
years on the implementation of the Dayton Peace 
Accords; 
(2) welcomes and encourages the aspiration of 
Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a member of the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); 
(3) reaffirms the importance of the successful 
participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eu-
ropean integration process for the future freedom 
and prosperity of its citizens; 
(4) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina to continue reforms on economic and 
constitutional issues; 
(5) encourages the international community to 
gather for a Dayton Peace Accords II in order to re-
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affirm our commitment to lasting peace in the Bal-
kans; and 
(6) recognizes the role of the State of Ohio as 
well as the Greater Dayton community in fostering 
and promoting the Dayton Peace Accords and its 
ideals, and continuing to support diplomacy, secu-
rity, and peace around the world. 
Æ 
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