[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 161 (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S8655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAYTON PEACE ACCORDS

  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent to proceed to S. Res. 697.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 697) recognizing the 15th anniversary 
     of the Dayton Peace Accords.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements 
relating to this matter be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 697) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 697

       Whereas on December 14, 1995, the Dayton Peace Accords 
     established peace and ended the war on the Balkan Peninsula 
     in which more than 2,000,000 people were displaced and 
     thousands were killed;
       Whereas peace treaty negotiations began November 1, 1995, 
     at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and 
     concluded there on November 21, 1995, when Bosnia and 
     Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia agreed to settle all war 
     conflicts;
       Whereas after 21 days of negotiations, the peace treaty 
     negotiations successfully concluded with a peace treaty that 
     was accepted by all parties;
       Whereas the Dayton, Ohio, community provided outstanding 
     security during the peace treaty negotiations;
       Whereas the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Accords was a 
     successful effort of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     led by the United States, with outstanding cooperation from 
     the Russian Federation, Germany, France, and the United 
     Kingdom;
       Whereas the Dayton Peace Accords were the result of, and 
     showed the success of, strong joint North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization efforts to promote and establish peace, 
     security, and prosperity;
       Whereas the signatories to the Dayton Peace Accords made a 
     commitment to fully respect human rights and the rights of 
     refugees and displaced persons;
       Whereas the Dayton Peace Accords transformed Bosnia and 
     Herzegovina from a country mired in a war based on ethnic and 
     religious differences into a country engaged in an intense, 
     but peaceful, struggle over the manner by which to form an 
     independent and stable country;
       Whereas the United States Agency for International 
     Development and other bilateral and multilateral agencies and 
     organizations made large investments to build a strong and 
     independent media in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and 
     Herzegovina;
       Whereas the Dayton International Peace Museum honors the 
     Dayton Peace Accords and offers nonpartisan educational 
     programs and exhibitions featuring the themes of nonviolent 
     conflict resolution, social justice, international relations, 
     and peace;
       Whereas the people of the State of Ohio and the Dayton 
     region facilitated and strongly supported the implementation 
     of the Dayton Peace Accords, as well as promoted the peaceful 
     democratization of the deeply divided country of Bosnia and 
     Herzegovina;
       Whereas stability and prosperity were fostered by the State 
     of Ohio through the establishment of an exemplary 
     relationship between the Ohio National Guard and the Armed 
     Forces of Serbia;
       Whereas the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, established in 
     2006, remains the only literary peace price in the United 
     States and follows the legacy of the 1995 Dayton Peace 
     Accords by acknowledging writers who advance peace through 
     literature;
       Whereas the city of Dayton and the city of Sarajevo have 
     built a solid relationship as Sister Cities, and many other 
     organizations in the region, such as the University of Dayton 
     and the Friendship Force, have built strong relationships 
     with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina through programs 
     and exchanges; and
       Whereas while progress remains to be made in refining the 
     governance structures of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dayton 
     Peace Accords successfully established peace, restored human 
     dignity, and laid the foundation for future progress in 
     Bosnia and Herzegovina: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 15th anniversary of the Dayton Peace 
     Accords;
       (2) acknowledges the challenges Bosnia and Herzegovina 
     still face and commends the socioeconomic and political 
     progress that is being made in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
       (3) encourages the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to 
     adhere to the membership requirements of the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization so that Bosnia and Herzegovina may join 
     the alliance without delay;
       (4) encourages the further integration and cooperation of 
     European countries with the goal of establishing peace and 
     economic prosperity for all of the people of Europe;
       (5) renews the commitment of the United States to support 
     the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
       (6) urges the continuation of constitutional reforms, 
     market-based economic growth, and improved dialogue between 
     the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the elected 
     Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and
       (7) encourages the United States Air Force to take 
     appropriate measures to provide historical interpretation of 
     the site of the Dayton Peace Accords to educate the public on 
     the historical significance of the Dayton Peace Accords and 
     the importance of negotiation in world peace.

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