[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 265 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 265
Supporting a democratic, pluralistic, and prosperous Bosnia and
Herzegovina and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 22, 2023
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Ricketts) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting a democratic, pluralistic, and prosperous Bosnia and
Herzegovina and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina has historically been a pluralistic society
influenced by and composed of a diverse set of religions, cultures, and
ethnicities;
Whereas, on March 3, 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence, and on
April 7, 1992, the United States recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina as an
independent state;
Whereas more than 100,000 people died and 2,000,000 more were displaced in
Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995;
Whereas the United States, alongside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO), played a crucial role in ending the war in Bosnia and
Herzegovina and brokering the General Framework Agreement for Bosnia and
Herzegovina (also known as the ``Dayton Agreement'' and the ``Dayton
Accords'') in November 1995;
Whereas the Dayton Accords ended the war, affirmed the territorial integrity and
political independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, established the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, as
subordinate units of government below the state, installed the NATO
Stabilization Force (SFOR) as an international interim peacekeeping
force, and created the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and
Herzegovina (OHR) to oversee civilian implementation of the accords;
Whereas, since the Dayton Accords were signed, the Government and people of
Bosnia and Herzegovina have made important strides toward re-building a
peaceful society based on democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and
a free-market economy;
Whereas, in 2004, the United Nations Security Council adopted United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1575 authorizing a multinational
stabilization force led by the European Union (EUFOR) as the legal
successor to SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Whereas, in 2008, the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board set out the
requirements that need to be met prior to the closure of the OHR in the
5+2 Agenda;
Whereas, since 2009 and the case of Sejdic-Finci, the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) has issued judgments concerning ethnic- and territory-
based discrimination in the elections of Bosnia and Herzegovina and
requiring reforms amendments to the Dayton Agreement, which have yet to
be implemented;
Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina was invited to join a NATO Membership Action Plan
in 2010, and Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted its first Reform Program
to NATO in 2019;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2658
on November 2, 2022, formally reauthorizing the multinational
stabilization force known as EUFOR-Althea for a period of 1 year to help
implement defense and military aspects of the Dayton Agreement;
Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina formally applied for European Union membership on
February 15, 2016;
Whereas, on May 29, 2019, the European Union adopted a roadmap to membership for
Bosnia and Herzegovina, outlining needed reforms in the areas of
democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights, and public
administration;
Whereas the European Union unanimously granted candidacy status to Bosnia and
Herzegovina on December 15, 2022, calling upon Bosnia and Herzegovina to
continue its efforts to implement democratic reforms and confirming that
the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina lies with the European Union;
Whereas some politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the
region continue to make statements downplaying or denying the 1995
Srebrenica genocide;
Whereas Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, has hampered
reconciliation efforts through genocide denial, engaged in destabilizing
security maneuvers and threatened to withdraw Republika Srpska from
state-level institutions, including the judiciary, the security
services, the Indirect Tax Authority, and the armed forces of Bosnia and
Herzegovina;
Whereas, on December 10, 2021, the parliament of Republika Srpska--
(1) voted in favor of denying the constitutional and legitimate
authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina in numerous areas, including indirect
taxation, justice, and security and defense; and
(2) falsely claimed entity-level competencies were illegally
transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Whereas the United States has imposed sanctions on Milorad Dodik pursuant to
Executive Order 13304 (68 Fed. Reg. 32313; relating to the Termination
of Emergencies With Respect to Yugoslavia and Modification of Executive
Order 13219 of June 26, 2001) and Executive Order 14033 (86 Fed. Reg.
31079; relating to Blocking Property and Suspending Entry Into the
United States of Certain Persons Contributing to the Destabilizing
Situation in the Western Balkans) for obstructing the Dayton Accords and
corruption;
Whereas, on January 9, 2022, Milorad Dodik presided over commemorations of an
unconstitutional holiday, Republika Srpska Day, which coincided with the
day Bosnian Serbs declared their own state and ignited four years of war
and bloodshed;
Whereas Milorad Dodik has threatened the secession of Republika Srpska from
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which contravenes the Dayton Accords and
jeopardizes the peace and security of the entire Western Balkans region;
Whereas, on January 8, 2023, Milorad Dodik awarded a medal to Russian President
Vladimir Putin, amid the unprovoked war on Ukraine by the Russian
Federation, for strengthening relations between Republika Srpska and the
Russian Federation;
Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted a general election on October 2, 2022,
which resulted in the election of Zeljko Komsic, Denis Becirovic, and
Zeljka Cvijanovic to the tripartite presidency;
Whereas, on January 31, 2023, all members of the tripartite presidency visited
Washington, DC, for the first time in 18 years and participated in
meetings with officials of the Department of State and a bipartisan
meeting with Senators;
Whereas, in 2020, the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina contracted by an
estimated 4.3 percent, and the youth unemployment rate rose to 33.6
percent, disrupting a five-year trend of decline in part due to the
rampant corruption that remains unaddressed; and
Whereas at least 400,000 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina have emigrated from
Bosnia and Herzegovina over the past 8 years: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) congratulates Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 31st
anniversary of its declaration of independence;
(2) reaffirms strong and longstanding bipartisan support
for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the territorial integrity,
sovereignty, and multiethnic character of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and continues to believe that peace and stability
in Bosnia and Herzegovina is integral to the peace and
stability of Europe as a whole;
(3) calls on all parties to uphold the spirit of unity
enshrined in the General Framework Agreement for Bosnia and
Herzegovina (also known as the ``Dayton Agreement'' and the
``Dayton Accords'') and to enact electoral and targeted state-
level constitutional reforms prior to the 2024 general election
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and calls for the urgent adoption of
a package of election integrity measures to address widespread
concern among voters about the sanctity of elections in Bosnia
and Herzegovina and to address the fraud and abuse that
characterized the 2022 elections;
(4) calls on the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and
Herzegovina to recognize their critical role in preserving
stability, to embrace compromise and consensus building within
the decision-making process of their institutions, and to work
together in the best interests of their constituents as part of
a sovereign and independent Bosnia and Herzegovina within its
internationally recognized borders;
(5) encourages the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to
continue pursuing membership in the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and the European Union and urges the European
Union to increase its efforts, cooperation, and assistance to
swiftly advance the accession process;
(6) calls on the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and
Herzegovina to prioritize efforts to combat political
corruption, democratic backsliding, unemployment, and brain
drain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular, by focusing on
youth engagement;
(7) commends the continued efforts of the Office of the
High Representative (OHR) to advance reforms, reaffirms the
authority of the OHR as articulated in the Dayton Accords, and
calls on members of the Peace and Implementation Council to
provide their full support to the OHR and advancement of the
5+2 Agenda;
(8) calls on the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and
Herzegovina to develop an inclusive and comprehensive strategy
for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in coordination with Bosnian and
Herzegovinian civil society and the European Union, and to
increase engagement with minority groups in an effort to hear
from a diverse cross-section of citizens in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, inclusive of all ethnic, political, or religious
affiliations;
(9) encourages the United Nations and its member states to
continue the annual reauthorization of the EUFOR-Althea
stabilization force and to review the current levels of the
force in the face of challenges to the integrity of Bosnia and
Herzegovina;
(10) encourages the United States to consider additional
steps to support security and stabilization in Bosnia and
Herzegovina and to support EUFOR;
(11) calls on the United States--
(A) to work in close cooperation with relevant
institutions to discuss contingency plans if the annual
reauthorization of the EUFOR-Althea stabilization force
is put in jeopardy; and
(B) to take steps to deter malign actors, both
inside and outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from
threatening the territorial integrity of Bosnia and
Herzegovina;
(12) condemns individuals who are actively seeking to
undermine the security, stability, and territorial integrity of
Bosnia and Herzegovina and urges the President and European
allies of the United States to hold such individuals
accountable for their actions, including through the use of
sanctions where appropriate;
(13) condemns the inflammatory rhetoric of politicians in
Bosnia and Herzegovina and others in the region who deny the
severity or perpetration of war crimes and genocide in Bosnia
and Herzegovina;
(14) condemns politicians in Bosnian and Herzegovina and
the region who--
(A) persist in rampant corruption for personal
enrichment at the cost of the prosperity of the
citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
(B) prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from adopting
the reforms necessary to secure membership in the
European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization; and
(C) threaten the territorial integrity of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, undermine the state and institutions
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and block functional,
efficient, and accountable government at all levels;
(15) acknowledges the decision of the European Union to
grant candidacy status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
encourages the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take
advantage of such candidacy status to accelerate the reforms
required to meet its goals for membership in the European
Union;
(16) supports the use of Executive Order 13304 (68 Fed.
Reg. 32313; relating to the Termination of Emergencies With
Respect to Yugoslavia and Modification of Executive Order 13219
of June 26, 2001) and Executive Order 14033 (86 Fed. Reg.
31079; relating to Blocking Property and Suspending Entry Into
the United States of Certain Persons Contributing to the
Destabilizing Situation in the Western Balkans) to hold
individuals accountable for high-level corruption and actions
that obstruct the Dayton Accords; and
(17) emphasizes that the United States Government will
continue to support--
(A) the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and
multiethnic character of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and
(B) the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in their
goal to build a democratic, pluralistic, prosperous,
and peaceful State.
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