,,iv #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #iba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #b1 #bjbe,mr4 ,turner of ,ohio 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,mr4 ,bell1 and ,mr4 ,guthrie7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,recognizing the #cjth anniversary of the ,dayton ,peace ,accords4 ,whereas1 ,december #ad1 #bjbe1 marks the ,general ,framework ,agreement for ,peace in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina 7commonly referred to as the ,dayton ,peace ,accords71 which ended the ,bosnian ,war and brought peace to ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 ,whereas widespread and systematic ethnic cleansing and concentration camps were used as a tool of war against ,bosnian ,muslim men1 women1 and children1 culminating in the ,july #aiie genocide at ,srebrenica1 where over #h1jjj ,muslim men and teenagers were detained and killed2 ,whereas the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7referred to in this preamble as ,,nato71 led by the ,united ,states1 initiated airstrikes against ,bosnian ,serbs to stop grave human rights abuses1 which led to ceasefire negotiations and the peace accords2 ,whereas negotiations began on ,november #a1 #aiie1 in ,dayton1 ,ohio1 culminating in a historic peace agreement which was signed on ,december #ad1 #aiie1 to halt the conflict and bring peace to the region2 ,whereas1 despite seemingly insurmountable differences in opinions1 the negotiations succeeded due to dedicated foreign service professionals1 a common yearning for a peaceful resolution1 and an outpouring of support from the global community2 ,whereas the ,general ,framework ,agreement for ,peace in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 also known as the ,dayton ,peace ,accords1 laid the groundwork for ,,nato and ,european ,union 7referred to in this preamble as ,,eu7 stabilization missions over the past #cj years1 which have allowed the citizens of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina to live peacefully and prosper2 ,whereas the ,dayton ,literary ,peace ,prize1 established in #bjjf1 remains the only literary peace prize awarded in the ,united ,states and recognizes the power of the written word to promote peace1 and after the death of ,ambassador ,holbrooke in #bjaa1 the ,lifetime ,achievement ,award was renamed the ,richard ,c4 ,holbrooke ,distinguished ,achievement ,award2 ,whereas the peace negotiations were strongly supported by the ,city of ,dayton1 ,ohio1 its leaders1 and the broader community1 which created strong relationships between all parties involved in the negotiations1 including a sister city relationship between ,dayton and ,sarajevo2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government reaffirms support for ,bosnia and ,herzegovina's sovereignty and upholds the commitment to equality for all ethnicities according to the ,general ,framework ,agreement for ,peace in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 ,whereas1 since the signing of the ,dayton ,peace ,accords1 the ,government and people of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina have been working in partnership with the international community towards building a peaceful and democratic society based on the rule of law1 respect for human rights1 and a free-market economy2 ,whereas ,,eu opened accession negotiations with ,bosnia and ,herzegovina in ,march #bjbd2 ,whereas the ,,nato ,parliament ,assembly held its #bjbe ,spring ,session in ,dayton1 ,ohio1 to commemorate the #cjth anniversary of the ,dayton ,peace ,accords2 ,whereas ,,nato and ,bosnia and ,herzegovina agreed to an ,individual ,tailored ,partnership ,program in ,october #bjbe1 strengthening ,,nato and ,bosnia and ,herzegovina's strategic partnership and positioning ,bosnia and ,herzegovina closer to ,,nato membership status2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states hosts a diaspora of an estimated #cej1jjj individuals of ,bosnian descent1 large numbers of whom reside in ,st4 ,louis1 ,missouri1 ,chicago1 ,illinois1 and ,bowling ,green1 ,kentucky3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 reaffirms the joint ,united ,states and ,,eu commitment to promote and protect human rights1 democracy1 and the rule of law in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and around the world2 7#b7 commends the continued commitment of the people of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina to peace and cooperation #cj years after the ,dayton ,peace ,accords2 7#c7 notes the efforts undertaken by the ,government of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina toward ,,nato and ,,eu membership1 including measures to resolve its constitutional issues1 strengthen its governing structures1 and undertake necessary economic1 rule of law1 and judicial reforms2 7#d7 reiterates the continued importance of the ,dayton ,peace ,accords as the basis of constitutional reform in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and the promotion of political1 economic1 legal1 and religious equality1 which are also key requirements for ,,eu accession2 7#e7 urges the ,government of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina to continue to pursue constitutional reforms needed to reconcile the past and engage across ethnic and religious lines with empathy and respect to build a common future2 7#f7 urges the ,government of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 through its respective leaders1 to uphold the integrity of the tripartite presidency1 strengthen its key institutions1 and work to achieve an independent democracy2 7#g7 urges the ,united ,states ,government to maintain support for the ,office of the ,high ,representative until members of the ,peace ,implementation ,council reach a unanimous agreement that the presence of the ,office of the ,high ,representative is no longer necessary2 7#h7 urges the ,united ,states ,government to work closely with ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and its bordering nations--especially those who are signatories of the ,dayton ,peace ,accords--to support full implementation of the ,stabilization and ,association ,agreement between the ,,eu and the ,balkan ,states2 7#i7 encourages continued regional cooperation to combat the malign influence of foreign actors1 such as the ,russian ,federation and the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 7#aj7 recognizes the ,state of ,ohio and the greater ,dayton community for their role in fostering the ,dayton ,peace ,accords1 and for continuing to support diplomacy1 security1 and peace around the world2 and 7#aa7 acknowledges the important contributions of the ,bosnian-,american diaspora in their communities throughout the ,united ,states4