At commemoration of Dayton Peace Accords, Balkan and US officials say NATO helps maintain peace

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Representatives of Balkan nations that benefited from the 30-year-old Dayton Peace Accords joined Americans of both political parties on Friday to affirm the value of NATO to maintaining peace around the world.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told a public forum at the University of Dayton held in conjunction with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly being held this week in the Ohio city that there's "no doubt" that the U.S., as the world's leading superpower, will be challenged in the future and it's "going to need friends."

"NATO is a great alliance to get together with our friends and our allies and make sure that we're as strong as we possibly can be so we can have peace for generations to come," he said, while at the same time emphasizing the Trump administration's new demands on European allies to spend more on military defense.

NATO was created in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union and now comprises 32 nations. U.S. Reps. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat, and Neal Dunn, a Florida Republican, also defended the value of U.S. membership in the peacetime military alliance during a panel titled, “Why NATO Matters to Everyday Americans.”

Both also spoke in support of U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine, characterizing its victory against Russia in the 3-year-old war as crucial to European stability and to deterring future invasions by other nations, particularly China.

“NATO is a blessing for peace, and it is the best insurance for peace,” Dunn said.

A panel earlier in the day drove home that point, as representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia discussed the lasting impacts of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base not far from the parliamentary gathering site.

“I can tell you how close the value of the peace is to all of us," said Elmedin Konakovic, foreign affairs minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who was a 17-year-old soldier at the time of the Bosnian war. He said the importance of the deal struck in Dayton, with the help of military and diplomatic interventions by the U.S. and NATO, was “massive.”

“It’s important, especially today, because we can see pictures now — from Ukraine, from Gaza, from Sudan, from other places — and peace is possible,” he said. “I’m sitting today and negotiating the future of my country with the people I was literally fighting against 30 years ago, and it’s much better than war, trust me. It’s complex, it’s complicated, it’s not easy. We have many political issues, but it’s much better than war."

Some who were in official roles during the Bosnian war were in attendance, including former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, who moderated the discussion. She recalled a trip to Sarajevo during which touring lawmakers witnessed how the devastated capital city had turned its former Olympic Stadium into a massive burial ground.

Hutchison invited former Ambassador Peter Galbraith to the stage and acknowledged the presence of retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO.

The five-day anniversary event culminates in a plenary session Monday. The gathering of about 300 parliamentarians and other guests was spearheaded by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, who was mayor of Dayton when the accords were negotiated and now heads America's NATO parliamentary delegation.

Several speakers on the morning panel, entitled “Dayton Accords 30 Years Later & Goals of Tomorrow,” spoke in favor of membership in NATO for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it continues to resolve issues left unaddressed by the 1995 pact — a temporary solution whose framework remains generally in place today.

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Smyth reported from Columbus.