[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 109 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2236-S2237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 265--SUPPORTING A DEMOCRATIC, PLURALISTIC, AND 
  PROSPEROUS BOSNIA ANS HERZEGOVINA AND ITS EURO-ATLANTIC ASPIRATIONS

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Mr. Ricketts) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 265

       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, D.C., 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

[[Page S2237]]

     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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