Latest news with #DaytonAccords
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Diplomatic discussions with Balkan leaders held during NATO assembly
The Dayton NATO Parliamentary Assembly masked top-secret negotiations to ensure the pace in the Balkans is maintained. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7's Mike Campbell was at Sinclair College, where those talks were being held. He will have the latest information LIVE on News Center 7 at 5:00. Congressman Mike Turner made it clear that the Dayton Accords have held the peace and stopped the bloodshed for 30 years. With seven heads of state from places like Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo all in Dayton, it was an opportunity that couldn't be passed up. 'The dialogue that happens means they will leave here with a to-do list for follow-up,' Turner said. We will continue to update this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Table 33 chef reflects on brush with the Dayton Accords and history
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Keith Taylor is the executive chef at Table 33. But he also shares a special connection to NATO. Thirty years ago, Taylor was a line cook at the four-star l'Auberge when the restaurant served people from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and the U.S. moments after they had negotiated what are now commonly known as the Dayton Accords. 'To be a part of something like that, it feels special to me even at the time, even though I'm a carefree 25-year-old just wanting to have fun and trying to learn cooking,' said Taylor. 'So, this was a significant, significant thing in my life.' Taylor said he had always wanted to be a chef, so he was very excited to be serving people from different countries back in his 20s. For the NATO Parliamentary Assembly this weekend, Taylor served members of the Swedish delegation, along with people from Finland, Latvia and other countries. You can see photos of the prepared food below. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NATO Parliamentary president: Keeping organization health worth the price
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — In an exclusive one-on-one interview with 2 NEWS, the president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly said much can be learned from the past, particularly the Bosnia-Serbia conflict that was ended with the Dayton Accords 30 years ago. 'The example that we should take immediately from that intervention is that through strength you can get peace,' said Marcos Perestrello. 'Without strength you will be vulnerable, and you won't be able to achieve peace.' While the lesson is the same, the game has changed. Now the U.S. and other NATO allies are forced to combat modern threats like cyberattacks. 'All NATO countries are very concerned with cybersecurity and are prepared to increase the defense capabilities on that area.' He said keeping NATO healthy requires a large financial investment, but it's worth the price. 'Establish what each country needs to give to NATO, to contribute to NATO, to assure the ability of NATO to defend the 1 billion citizens of the countries of the member countries,' said Perestrello. He realizes every NATO member country needs to play their part to continue to defend each other. 'I believe that at the end, what the U.S. administration wants is a stronger NATO, and we want the same,' Perestrello said. But without having each member nation on the same page, that could be a difficult task. 'Strategic goals involving things like military spending…That is also something that has to unite NATO as an ideal that all of us share,' said Tino Cuéllar, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The panel discussion largely involved ideas surrounding a Center for Democratic Resilience within NATO, with many of the panelist saying the work never ends because democracy takes everyone. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scoop
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Security Council Urged To Stand Firm As Bosnia And Herzegovina Faces Deepening Crisis
High Representative Christian Schmidt briefed on latest developments surrounding implementation of the 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended more than three years of bloodshed and genocide following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The accord, also known as the Dayton Peace Agreement, established a new constitution and created two entities within the country: the mainly Bosniak and Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the ethnically Serb Republika Srpska. Constitutional order under attack Mr. Schmidt – who's key role is overseeing implementation of the 1995 agreement – said conditions for the full implementation of the civilian aspects of the deal have vastly deteriorated. 'The first quarter of this year was marked by a significant rise of tensions, which without question amounts to an extraordinary crisis in the country since the signing of the Dayton Agreement,' he said. ' I may underline that I see a political crisis. I do not yet have indications for a security crisis.' The sudden deterioration stems from reactions following the 26 February conviction of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik for failing to enforce the decisions of the High Representative. He was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from political office for six years but has appealed the decision. ' After the verdict, Mr. Dodik intensified his attacks on the constitutional order of the country by directing the authorities of the Republika Srpska to adopt legislation that effectively bans State-level judiciary and State-level law enforcement in the Republika Srpska and by even putting on the table a draft Entity constitution, hinting at de facto secession,' said Mr. Schmidt. He told the Council that given the speed with which the draft laws and constitution were made public strongly suggests that they had been prepared well in advance. Fears of disintegration He said these acts and legislation fundamentally contradict the implementation of the Dayton Accords and ' endanger the territorial and societal integrity of the country and of its peoples by performing secessionist acts.' Furthermore, 'they also create legal and executive insecurity by establishing Entity laws and institutions that contradict and compete with State law and competence.' He stressed that 'it will require institutions created in Dayton, such as the Constitutional Court, to prevent this country from falling apart, and when it comes to safeguarding the functionality of the State, my legal competencies as High Representative as well.' As a result, the State-level coalition has been seriously affected, momentum towards European Union (EU) accession has stalled and the functionality of the State is being undermined, while reforms have been sidelined. ' This development is not irreversible, but it is severe,' he warned. 'It needs to be addressed without delay, it requires active engagement by the international community.' Communities shun extremism The High Representative noted that the Serb community 'did not pay heed to Mr. Dodik's unlawful directives.' For example, although ethnic Serbs working in State-level institutions have been pressured to abandon their posts, ' these calls and threats have been left overwhelmingly unanswered.' Meanwhile, the Bosniak community 'has been able to remain calm despite the tensions and to continue on the path of patient dialogue also in order to keep the country's European integration on the table.' He also noticed 'a continuing pro-European commitment' on the part of the Croat community, 'as well as an increased willingness to engage in inter-ethnic dialogue, including in local disputes.' Mr. Schmidt was adamant that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina can and do live together. ' For the most part, the communities in the country do not support extremism or secessionism,' he said. 'There is ample evidence for that in daily life, but ethnocentric politics spends too much time on dividing the communities rather than uniting them.' Peace accord remains crucial While the country is facing complex and varied challenges, he said the current extraordinary crisis is the result of severe attacks against the Dayton Agreement 'encompassing the constitutional and legal order' and has nothing to do with the peace deal itself. 'Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing difficult times. Nobody would have expected 30 years ago that the international community is needed as much today as it is,' he said. 'But the Peace Agreement that this UN Security Council endorsed 30 years ago remains the very foundation on which the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina with its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence can be built.' Although reopening or redefining Dayton challenges the basis for peace and prosperity in the country, 'this does not mean we should not talk about necessary amendments and adoptions of this constitution,' he said. Attacks threaten 'very foundation' 'The way forward includes countering threats and attacks to its very foundation, but also implementing meaningful reforms, including in the context of the country's European integration,' he continued. 'It is about strengthening institutional stability and functionality of the State and continuing to reinforce election integrity in view of the country's general elections in 2026.' Mr. Schmidt concluded his remarks by urging the international community to continue to support and assist the country and the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to shape their future and to reassure the population that they have not been forgotten.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rod Blagojevich has a new gig: Working for the ‘Bosnian Bear'
Rod Blagojevich has a new job: representing the interests of an ultranationalist politician known as the 'Bosnian Bear" who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The former Illinois governor, who was pardoned in February by President Donald Trump, has agreed to lobby on behalf of the Republic of Srpska, a Serb-majority territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina long mired in the bitter ethnic tensions of the region. RRB Strategies, Blagojevich's firm, 'will provide communications and public affairs support on behalf of the Republic of Srpska,' according to the registration statement he was required to file under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Bosnia and Herzegovina is held together by the Dayton Accords, a 1995 agreement that ended the Bosnian War and unified the country. Blagojevich told POLITICO on Wednesday that he hopes to 'use whatever ability I have to persuade the decision-makers that we need to take another look at the Dayton Agreement and bring it in line with the realities of today.' As he begins the role, Blagojevich is seeking to cast himself as one in a long line of populist leaders thwarted by 'unelected bureaucrats who have exceeded their constitutional power,' from Trump to Marine Le Pen in France and Milorad Dodik, Srpska's president 'I believe the weaponization that's going on in Europe right now by the European Union against certain populist political leaders they don't like started with me as a left of center Democratic governor in Illinois,' Blagojevich said. 'I just know this. And then they took it to the next level and did it to President Trump.' Dodik has long pushed for the Republic of Srpska, to secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina and join nearby Serbia. In February, he was sentenced to a year in prison for defying the country's Constitutional Court. Dubbed "the Bosnian Bear," for his physique and crude antics, Dodik has since fled to Moscow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in March condemned Dodik for 'undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina's institutions and threatening its security and stability' in a post on X. Blagojevich was pardoned by Trump in February after being convicted in 2011 on charges of extortion and for trying to sell or trade the appointment of the Senate seat that had been held by Barack Obama. Acquainted from their days on The Celebrity Apprentice, Trump commuted Blagojevich's sentence in 2020. Trump weighed tapping Blagojevich to serve as U.S. ambassador to Serbia before picking former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich for the post. Blagojevich, whose parents were Serbian, touted to POLITICO his long experience working in Balkan politics. As a Democratic House representative in 1999, he traveled to Belgrade with the Rev. Jesse Jackson to clinch a deal that freed three American prisoners of war. 'I believe the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska can be bastions of Judea-Christian values in the Balkans just like Israel is in the Middle East,' he said. 'And I'd like to be able to play a role in that and am fortunate to have been brought on and be hired to do just that.'
