[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 746 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 746
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 18, 2014
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. Keating) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
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.
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
Resolved, 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.
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