
Bosnia
and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991,
was followed by a declaration
of independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after
a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported
by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance
aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining
Serb-held areas to form a "greater Serbia." In March
1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions
from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton,
Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought
to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement
was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Agreement
retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and
created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government. This national
government was charged with conducting foreign, economic, and fiscal
policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government comprised
of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska
(RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing
internal functions. In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping
force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and
monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded
by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission
is to deter renewed hostilities. SFOR remains in place although
troop levels were reduced to approximately 12,000 by the close
of 2002.. LOCATION:
Southeastern Europe, bordering
the Adriatic Sea and Croatia CLIMATE: Hot
summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short,
cool summers and long, severe
winters; mild, rainy winters along coast BORDERS:
Croatia 932 km, Serbia and Montenegro
527 km