Pitt's University Center for International Studies to Host Roundtable Discussion on the Legacy of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords

PITTSBURGH—On Feb. 24, in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, Pitt's Center for Russian and East European Studies within the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) is hosting a roundtable discussion at 4 p.m. in 4130 Posvar Hall (230 S. Bouquet St., Oakland). Later that evening, UCIS, in conjunction with the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, is sponsoring a town hall program in the lecture hall of Carnegie Library (4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland). The evening event begins at 7 p.m. Both free public events, titled A Decade after Dayton, will feature three former U.S. ambassadors—Avis T. Bohlen, Robert E. Hunter, and Richard D. Kauzlarich—as discussants. The former ambassadors will reflect on the lessons and legacies of the Dayton accords and the peacebuilding experience in the Balkans.

The Dayton Peace Accords, signed Dec. 14, 1995, ended Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II by establishing Bosnia and Herzegovina as a democratic state and espousing for their people the international standards for human rights. After the accords, the war-torn city of Bosnia was placed under the auspices of the largest North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) land operation in history. In December 2004, leadership was transferred from the NATO-led stabilization force to the European Union.

Bohlen served as the U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria from 1996 to 1999. During that time, she also was the deputy assistant secretary for Europe in charge of security issues. Over the years, Bohlen has been involved in policy development on issues ranging from U.S.-European relations, U.S. relations with France, European security issues, arms control, and Soviet affairs. Bohlen currently is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

As the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 1993 to 1998, Hunter was responsible for restructuring NATO in the post-Cold War era. He also guided the council in obtaining major air-strike decisions for Bosnia and in securing approval for the Implementation and Stabilization Forces that later helped rebuild the city. Hunter currently is a senior advisor to the RAND Corporation.

From 1993 to 1994, Kauzlarich served as senior deputy to the secretary's and president's special representative to the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. In this role, he was responsible for conflict resolution in the Caucasus and economic relations with NIS. In the tenuous years following the Dayton Peace Accords, Kauzlarich served as U.S. ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (1997-1999). He currently is the director of the special initiative on the Muslim world at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Advance reservations are requested for the 7 p.m. town hall program. For additional information on the roundtable discussion at Pitt, call 412-648-7407. For more information on the town hall program, call 412-281-7970.

###

2/22/05/tmw