IV
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 542
Concerning the implementation of the General Framework Agreement for
Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 26, 1996
Mr. HOYER (for himself, Mr. MASCARA, Mr. KING, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. MORAN,
Mr. MARKEY, Mr. RICHARDSON, Mr. LANTOS, and Mr. CLEMENT) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
International Relations
RESOLUTION
Concerning the implementation of the General Framework
Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Whereas relative peace has come to Bosnia and Herzegovina
and tensions have been reduced throughout the region as
a result of the implementation of the General Framework
Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as-
sociated annexes (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Peace
Agreement’’), negotiated in Dayton, Ohio, and signed in
Paris, France, on December 14, 1995, and as a result of
the work of the NATO-led Peace Implementation Forces
(IFOR);
Whereas the Peace Agreement provides that Bosnia and
Herzegovina continue as a single state, with full respect
for its sovereignty by its neighbors, and the parties there-
HRES 542 IH
to have agreed to a constitution for Bosnia and
Herzegovina that creates federal institutions including a
presidency, a bicameral legislature, a constitutional court
and a central bank;
Whereas, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, under the
auspices of the Organization for Security and Coopera-
tion in Europe (OSCE) and observed by international
and domestic monitors participated in national elections
on September 14, 1996 as required by the Peace Agree-
ment and elected representatives charged with creating
the democratic institutions of a unified Bosnian state;
Whereas the parties to the Peace Agreement accepted the ob-
ligation ‘‘to cooperate in the investigation and prosecu-
tion of war crimes and other violations of international
humanitarian law’’;
Whereas the apprehension and prosecution of indicted war
criminals is essential for peace and reconciliation to be
achieved and democracy to be established throughout
Bosnia and Herzegovina; and
Whereas the parties to the Peace Agreement accept the need
for a balance of armed forces and weapons and have en-
tered into ‘‘The Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Con-
trol’’ pursuant to which the parties are required to report
their holdings and allow inspection of certain categories
of weapons, and to undertake the destruction of those
weapons above agreed ceilings, in order to contribute to
regional stability: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that—
(1) the United States is committed to the goals
enunciated in the General Framework Agreement for
HRES 542 IH
(5) the signatories to the Peace Agreement and
those nations and organizations participating in the
implementation of that Agreement should ensure full
and faithful implementation of the arms control and
confidence building agreements reached as part of
the Peace Agreement including ‘‘The Agreement on
Sub-Regional Arms Control’’ pursuant to which the
parties are required to report on and allow inspec-
tion of certain categories of weapons, and to under-
take the destruction of those weapons above agreed
ceilings; and
(6) the members of the NATO-led Peace Imple-
mentation 
Forces 
(IFOR) 
in 
Bosnia 
and
Herzegovina are to be commended for their hard
work, effectiveness and diligence in carrying out
their mandate and for the pivotal role which they
played in ensuring a calm and orderly election proc-
ess.
Æ