The hopes of Europe turn to an unlikely place

Wright-Patterson AFB is one of the leading air bases in the world, and the largest single-site employer in Ohio, with an economic impact on the region of over $4 billion a year. That didn’t necessarily mean they could host a summit of world leaders at a moment’s notice!

 

a small reference map of Dayton
photo of Col. Garald K. Robinson

Col. Garald K. “Robbie” Robinson, 88th Air Base Wing Commander at that time, had only two weeks to prepare. The base could spare a venue for the meeting, the Hope Hotel, which was conveniently a short walk from the Visiting Officers Quarters (VOQ). The VOQ were five identical buildings that allowed each country to have exactly equal, private accommodations, but still close enough to meet for spontaneous side-talks. Col. Robinson asked for a path to be constructed so his visitors could easily move between the buildings. That curved concrete walkway is now known as The Peace Walk:

photo of a winding pathway leading towards brick buildings at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Above images: courtesy of US Air Force

 

In addition to the thousands of Dayton servicemembers who created the “perfect negotiating environment,” there were many who helped create a city of peacemaking.

Whether it was providing hospitality at the Hope Hotel, or hosting the dignitaries at important dinners and a symphony, holding vigils at the gates of Wright-Patterson, or simply praying quietly... Daytonians gave their hearts to help the leaders of Eastern Europe to find their way to a peaceful solution and stop the loss of more innocent lives.

photo of a formal dinner reception being hosted by Richard Holbrooke at the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio

Dinner reception for foreign leaders at the USAF Museum. Photographer unknown.
Used under the principle of Fair Use for an educational purpose

Dayton, Ohio, hosted a fundamental shift in international mediation. It was here that the warring parties chose dialogue and reason over more violence and destruction.

 

Solving conflict through persuasion

While WAR is the way that countries try to settle disputes through the raw power of weapons, the practice of DIPLOMACY is how they resolve things without resorting to violence. Or as Ambassador Frowick once said: “Diplomacy is the art of letting the other guy have your way.”

 

photo of all of the leaders seated in the negotiating room, centered on Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

Photo ©1995 by Skip Peterson. Used with permission

Diplomacy is still an exercise in statecraft. It can be pursued in a number of ways. Some leaders use persuasion to continue to maximize their own goals. Another framework for diplomacy is to diffuse tensions, in order to create an environment for new creative solutions to emerge. Either way, diplomacy requires understanding the motivations of the other side before deciding on the best negotiation techniques.

When Bosnia declared its independence, the opposing factions resorted directly to war, bypassing diplomacy. For three years, Europe’s leaders could not persuade the parties to negotiate due to rising tensions and animosity.

Yet even when countries go to war, the need for diplomacy does not vanish, because peace terms will still have to be negotiated.

 

T-minus  one – Delegations arrive:9 days later

Oct
30

footage: NBC Newscenter 7, CNN • 30 Oct 1995

 

Note: The museum has chosen just a few highlights from these Peace Talks to show here! Visit our full exhibit in person to read details about each and every day of the negotiations.

Talks carry on through Day 8:2 days later

Nov
8

The first meeting to address territory claims included the Bosnian Serb delegates. But it was a disaster. As each delegation presented their version of a map, their differences only widened. Even within Bosnia’s own diverse delegation, the Serbs, Muslims and Croat members bickered among themselves. Milošević sat on the sidelines smirking.

On the other hand, side talks on reforms for the presidency and parliament were going well, as well as establishing a central bank and a single currency for BiH. The US agreed to lift some sanctions so that heating oil, badly-needed for the winter, could flow to Serbia and BiH.

Day 10 – A major breakthrough:3 days later

Nov
10

Tudjman and Milošević agreed to a timetable for the return of the eastern territory back to Croatia. They did insist on sending the terms back to local leaders there, so it could appear as though locals decided on this solution, not the heavy hand of Croatia and Serbia.

This became a spectacular diplomatic win for Tudjman. He regained the territory for Croatia without the outbreak of a separate war, which had almost seemed inevitable.

Day 13:1 week later

Nov
13

Faced with a new “American map” of territorial partitions, the three presidents withdrew to their rooms and refused to talk with each other. Holbrooke and his team shuttled among them to negotiate.

At the end of a very long day, Holbrooke sent a message to his boss, Warren Christopher, who was due to arrive the next day:

“[We] initially conceived of this as a possible ‘close[-the-deal]’ trip. It now becomes a last warning to get serious. Stopover on your way to Japan, with the clear message that when you return we must have either closure or closedown.”

Source: Richard Holbrooke, To End a War (Random House, 1998)

Day 20 – Time running out:the next morning

Nov
20

The day prior, a tactic meant to convince the Bosnians how much they had already achieved — 55% of BiH territory, instead of 50% — badly backfired when Milošević accidentally saw the chart. He exploded in anger and insisted that Republika Srpska must retain 49% of the territory under any circumstances.

Milošević told Holbrooke's team he would take ANY kind of land, as long as it added up to 49% of Bosnia-Hercegovina, so he could credibly claim success for the Serbs. Behind the scenes, it was a mad dash of events... click here to learn more.


footage: NBC Newscenter 7, CNN • 20 Nov 1995

Day 21 – Talks have failed!Then, the last minute

Nov
21

That morning, Holbrooke huddled his staff to thank them for trying, and to begin to shut down the talks.


footage: Channel 2 News, ABC News, CNN • 21 Nov 1995

Suddenly he was summoned to meet Milošević.

Day 21 – OVERTIME:

Serbia made its final offer: to agree to arbitration over the status of Brčko one year later, and the Americans could choose the arbitrator.

Holbrooke raced to Tudjman, who accepted the deal immediately. Holbrooke brought the deal to the Bosnian delegation. They reacted with silence.

Slowly, Holbrooke repeated the details of the deal. Since their Foreign Minister had already broken the news that talks collapsed, he would go make that announcement at 10:00AM unless the Bosnians accepted immediately. He was again met with silence.

Then President Izetbegović spoke:

“It is not a just peace,” he said, and paused. “But my people need peace.”

A deal was made! In the next few hours, while the world waited, final decisions were made about refugee voting, the Annex documents, and the location of the last 1% of land.

Source: Richard Holbrooke, To End a War (Random House, 1998)

 

next page

cover page of the United Nations communique on November 30, 1995 that transmits the signed copy of the Dayton Peace Accords

The first three pages lay out a framework for ending the war:

 

First page of the Dayton Peace Accord document, titled GENERAL FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT FOR PEACE IN BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA
Second page of the Dayton Peace Accord document, with five paragraphs titled ARTICLE II, ARTICLE III, ARTICLE IV, ARTICLE V, ARTICLE VI
Third page of the Dayton Peace Accord document, with five paragraphs titled ARTICLE VII, ARTICLE VIII, ARTICLE IX, ARTICLE X, ARTICLE XI

This page was initialed in Dayton, although a typo here refers to Paris. The formal signatures occurred in Paris on December 14, 1995.

Fourth page of the Dayton Peace Accord document, bearing the signed initials of Alija Izetbegović, Franjo Tudjman, and Slobodan Milošević

The Accord had over 11 additional annexes.

Fifth page of the Dayton Peace Accord document, which enumerates the titles of 12 different Annex documents

The end of Annex #2 was a map of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line, which would divide BiH into two distinct republics and certain zones to be negotiated later — all still part of one country.
Click here for a clearer graphic of the boundary, relative to the territory that was controlled by Bosnian Serbs at the end of the war.

Page 52 of the Dayton Peace Accord document, which shows a grainy black-and-white map

Annex #4 established a new, 19-page constitution of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Page 59 of the Dayton Peace Accord document, also marked as ANNEX 4, which is titled CONSTITUTION OF BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA

The two newly-defined republics of BiH initialed their acceptance of the new Constitution.

Page 74 of the Dayton Peace Accord document, also marked as ARTICLE XII, titled ‘ENTRY INTO FORCE’. It bears the signed initials of the leaders of the new republics within Bosnia-Hercegovina.

The Peace Accord ends in signatures and a concluding statement.
If you would like to dig deeper, you can find the full document at www.osce.org

Page 123 of the Dayton Peace Accord document, also marked as ARTICLE IV, which says ‘This Agreement shall enter into force upon signature.’ It bears the signatures of Alija Izetbegović, Franjo Tudjman, and Slobodan Milošević.