Section A

In Paris on 14 December 1995, the presidents of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia signed the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement. This agreement, comprising 11 articles (for text, see Section B below), set out the principles for the maintenance of a unitary and sovereign Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, consisting of two Entities: Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The latter was to control 51 per cent of the territory of the republic. The agreement also set out a series of constitutional provisions relating to the bicameral legislature of the unitary state, the election of a three man presidency, the role and responsibilities of central government and the general relationship between the two Entities and the central government.

As a corollary to the seeming willingness of the Balkan parties to seal a peace deal after over three years of fighting in Bosnia, the Dayton Agreement also set out the responsibilities of the organs and institutions of the international community to ensure that the peace would be a lasting one. Included in these provisions were: the definition of the role to be played by the OSCE in the areas of confidence–building, monitoring elections, and arms control; the continuing operation of the International War Crimes Tribunal; the creation of a Commission of Human Rights to be monitored by both the OSCE and the Council of Europe; the creation of a UN International Police Task Force; and the nomination of a High Representative to monitor and oversee all civilian aspects of the peace plan.