[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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