113 HRES 746 IH: Expressing support for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina as they seek to hold government officials accountable, prepare for elections at the state, entity, and cantonal level, and consider constitutional or other reforms to enhance the country’s prospects for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
U.S. House of Representatives
2014-09-18
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Whereas a brutal conflict marked by more than three years of aggression and ethnic cleansing,
including the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and
genocide as well as the use of sexual violence, especially rape, as a tool
of war, was brought to an end by the decisive actions eventually
undertaken by the international community with the strong leadership by
the United States, culminating in the General Framework Agreement for
Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (commonly referred to as the Dayton Peace Accords
), which was agreed to at Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio, on November 21, 1995,
and signed in Paris on December 14, 1995;
Whereas considerable progress on post-conflict recovery was achieved by Bosnia and Herzegovina in
partnership with an actively engaged international community during the
first decade of the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, generating
efforts to move beyond the Accord’s compromises that were originally
intended to restore peace more quickly and preserve and protect human
life, but have been considered in a more stable and secure environment to
be a hindrance to the development of more democratic, efficient and
effective political institutions, particularly at the state level, during
a time when the prospects for European and Euro-Atlantic integration make
the existence of such institutions necessary;
Whereas the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission has concluded that the current constitutional
arrangements of Bosnia and Herzegovina are neither efficient nor rational
and need to be reformed to make state-level institutions more effective
and democratic if the country is to move forward, and the European Court
for Human Rights has found certain provisions of the constitution of
Bosnia and Herzegovina to be in breach of the European Convention on Human
Rights because they establish ethnic criteria for certain elected
positions that are discriminatory;
Whereas the failure to reach consensus on constitutional reforms in the second decade of the
implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords has led to a deterioration of
the political atmosphere in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has been marred
by divisive rhetoric, unwillingness to work constructively with
representatives of the international community, threats to the
sovereignty, legal continuity, unity, and territorial integrity of the
country and pervasive official corruption;
Whereas citizens in various municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina reacted to their severely
worsening socioeconomic conditions in 2014 with public protest and the
formulation of demands for the accountability of government officials, an
end to rampant corruption and numerous other actions to address their
grievances, particularly at the local level;
Whereas elections at the state, entity, and cantonal level are scheduled to be held in Bosnia and
Herzegovina on October 12, 2014;
Whereas the European Union (EU) has expressed its full and firm support for Bosnia and
Herzegovina’s EU perspective, considers the country to be a potential
candidate country for membership, but views it at a standstill in the
European integration process while other countries in the region are
moving ahead;
Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is committed to open membership to any
European country in a position to undertake the commitments and
obligations of membership and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic
area, including Bosnia and Herzegovina once it has achieved the necessary
progress in its reform efforts;
Whereas the international community retains the robust powers given to it by the Dayton Peace
Accords, but has declined in recent years to use those powers adequately
to address the deterioration of the political atmosphere in Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the resulting stagnation in the country’s progress toward
integration; and
Whereas it is in the national interest of the United States to ensure that the sovereignty, legal
continuity, unity, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina
within its internationally recognized borders, are respected and that
Bosnia and Herzegovina make progress in achieving its aspirations for
Euro-Atlantic and European integration through genuine reform efforts:
Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)reaffirms its continuing strong support for the sovereignty, legal continuity, unity, and
territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina within its internationally
recognized borders;
(2)affirms equally strong support for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina as they seek greater
democracy, economic prosperity, and successful integration in European and
Euro-Atlantic institutions;
(3)expresses profound dissatisfaction with the inability of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political leaders
to achieve agreement on reforms necessary for progress in these areas;
(4)deplores the divisive rhetoric and abuse of legal protections that have become part of Bosnia and
Herzegovina’s political discourse, including the wrongful denial or
mischaracterization of crimes and genocide associated with the conflict
between 1992 and 1995, the excessive and unwarranted reliance on veto
powers to block decisionmaking at the state-level even when such
decisions do not present any reasonable threat to the vital interests
of constituent peoples, and the general fomenting of distrust, division, and fear among citizens
based on the country’s ethnic and religious diversity;
(5)views the October 12, 2014, elections at the state, entity, and cantonal level as an opportunity
for voters to address Bosnia and Herzegovina’s current political
stagnation and associated problems as well as to express support for
reform and for European and Euro-Atlantic integration;
(6)calls upon the relevant authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure these elections are
conducted in a free and fair manner;
(7)encourages the growth of peaceful, civic activism to hold public officials accountable and to
engage citizens in the political life of the country, including in the
election process and any new initiatives to achieve structural or
constitutional reform, in order to achieve increased public trust in the
political process, broader consensus on the reforms to be adopted, and
more effective, efficient, and democratic governance;
(8)calls upon the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and their member states to
make clear the specific steps Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to take in the
integration process;
(9)supports the maintenance of a robust international presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the full
retention and necessary use of all powers accorded to the international
community, including the Office of the High Representative, to meet fully
the objectives and conditions set by the international Peace
Implementation Council; and
(10)urges the United States and concerned members of the international community, in all aspects of
their relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, to place renewed emphasis, on
respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms held by the
individual, which should not be compromised by any collective protections
and privileges accorded to a group, ethnically based or otherwise.