[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 529 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 529

    Supporting a democratic, pluralistic, and prosperous Bosnia and 
Herzegovina on the 30th Anniversary of its declaration of independence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 2, 2022

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
 Wicker, and Mr. Peters) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Supporting a democratic, pluralistic, and prosperous Bosnia and 
Herzegovina on the 30th Anniversary of its declaration of independence.

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, Republika Srpska, and two tiers of 
        government at the state, entity, district, canton, and municipal levels, 
        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, 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 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 United States and the European Union have called on Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina to implement election and targeted constitutional reforms to 
        ensure broad participation in the 2022 general election in Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina and to comply with the Sejdic-Finci judgments from the ECHR;
Whereas, on October 20, 2021, the United States and the European Union issued a 
        joint statement supporting the territorial integrity of Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina and calling ``on all parties to respect and protect state 
        institutions, resume constructive dialogue, and take steps to advance 
        progress on the EU integration path--including on relevant reforms'';
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, a Bosnian Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina, has hampered reconciliation efforts through genocide 
        denial, engaged in proactive and destabilizing security maneuvers, 
        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, and called 
        for the dissolution of the OHR;
Whereas, on December 10, 2021, the parliament of Republika Srpska voted in favor 
        of denying the constitutional and legitimate authority of Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina in the areas of taxation, justice, and security and defense;
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 international financial institutions such as the International Monetary 
        Foundation have warned that withdrawal from the Indirect Tax Authority 
        would cripple the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
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 30th 
        anniversary of its declaration of independence;
            (2) reaffirms strong and longstanding bipartisan support 
        for 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 Dayton Accords and to redouble their efforts 
        to enact electoral and targeted constitutional reforms prior to 
        the 2022 general election in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
            (4) calls on the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina to recognize their critical role in preserving 
        stability 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 President 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 President 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 to support 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) 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;
            (12) 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;
            (13) 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; and
                    (B) prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from adopting 
                the reforms necessary to secure membership in the 
                European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty 
                Organization; and
            (14) emphasizes that the United States Government will 
        continue to support the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 
        their quest to build a unified, pluralistic, prosperous, and 
        peaceful state.
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