 Bosnian PresidentAlija Izetbegović and Croatian PresidentFranjo Tuđman sign the Washington Agreement | |
| Type | Ceasefire agreement |
|---|---|
| Signed | 18 March 1994 |
| Location | Washington, D.C., United StatesVienna,Austria |
| Sealed | 24 March 1994 |
| Effective | 30 March 1994 |
| Signatories | |
| Parties | |
| Ratifiers | Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Languages | Bosnian Croatian |
TheWashington Agreement (Croatian:washingtonski sporazum;Bosnian:vašingtonski sporazum) was a ceasefire agreement between theRepublic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and theCroatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, signed on 18 March 1994 inWashington, D.C.[1] It was signed by Bosnian Prime MinisterHaris Silajdžić, Croatian Foreign MinisterMate Granić and President of Herzeg-BosniaKrešimir Zubak.
Under the agreement, the combined territory held by theCroat andBosnian (in that timeBosniak) government forces was divided into ten autonomous cantons, establishing theFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and ending theCroat-Bosniak War. Thecantonal system was selected to prevent dominance by one ethnic group over another.[2]
The subsequently signedWashington Framework Agreement had the creation of a loose federation (orconfederation) between Croatia and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of its goals.[3]
War broke out between Herzeg-Bosnia, supported by Croatia, and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and theCroatian Defence Forces. It lasted from 18 October 1992 to 23 February 1994,[4] and is considered often as a "war within a war" as it was a part of the much larger Bosnian War. Fighting soon spread toCentral Bosnia and soonHerzegovina, where most of the fighting would take place in those regions.
Between 1992 and 1994, many massacres and killings would take place, such as theLašva Valley ethnic cleansing,[5]Trusina massacre,Ahmići massacre,Sovići and Doljani killings,Vitez massacre,Mokronoge massacre,[6][7]Grabovica massacre,Uzdol massacre,[8]Stupni Do massacre,Križančevo selo killings,[9]Zenica massacre,Gornji Vakuf shelling,Busovača massacre, and theStari Vitez terrorist attack. Battles, operations, and sieges were also common during that time period, as thebattle of Žepče,Bugojno,Siege of Mostar,Operation Neretva '93, andOperation Tvigi 94.
