European Leaders Welcome Mladic Arrest

Serbian leader says Mladic arrest disproves criticism of Serbia’s level of cooperation with war crimes tribunal; EU foreign policy chief calls for ex-general’s immediate transfer to The Hague.

The arrest in Serbia of the Hague tribunal’s number-one war crimes fugitive, Ratko Mladic, has been hailed round the world as an opportunity for “justice to be done”

The capture of the ex-general, on the same day that the EU foreign policy chief, Baroness Ashton, was in Belgrade, won praise from the European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso.

“This is great news,” he said. “I was exactly one week ago in Belgrade. I had an extensive, very deep, sincere conversation with President [Boris] Tadic and he promised me that they would do everything to arrest Mladic.”

“So, if this is the case, it means he’s keeping his word,” he added.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen greeted the arrest of the former Bosnian Serb military chief, saying it finally offered “a chance for justice to be done”.

Britain’s defence minister, Liam Fox, said it was a chance for Serbs to “close a very unhappy chapter in their history”.

Lord Ashdown, the former High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2002 to 2007, called the arrest “a great moment for the Balkans and for international justice.

“Mladic was one of the two primary architects of the Balkan horrors, including the worst acts of genocide on the European mainland for the last 50 years,” he said.

“His forthcoming trial will be a chance for the whole Balkan region to put the past behind them and start building a secure European future.”

Speaking of the next steps, on behalf of the EU, Baroness Ashton said Mladic should be transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia “immediately”.

High Representative Valentin Inzko says that Mladic arrest means that justice can now be fulfilled, adding that the arrest will “help remove the obstacles to reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

He said that the arrest would remove obstacles to better cooperation all over the region and have positive impact on relations in South-East Europe.

Inzko said that the arrest had particular importance for families of genocide victims from Srebrenica, victims and survivors of ethnic cleansing, people who endured the siege of Sarajevo and civilians in every town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was targeted by Mladic.

“Ratko Mladic will respond to the charges against him before the Court, where he will face witnesses and be presented with evidence,” the High Representative and Special Representative of the EU said.

William Hague, British Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the arrest of Ratko Mladic was a historical moment for the region, which was destroyed in the appalling wars in the nineties.

“Ratko Mladic is charged with horrible crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is good that he will now face the international justice. Our thought are with the families of those who were killed in the siege of Sarajevo and genocide in Srebrenica,” Hague said in an announcement forwarded by the British Embassy in Sarajevo.

He congratulated the Serbian authorities for the arrest, adding that it was a proof of the Serbian Government’s commitment to cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

“Now, we are expecting quick extradition of Mladic to the Hague. Today should be the beginning of a new chapter for the Western Balkans countries,” Hague said.

OSCE welcomed Mladic’s arrest as an important step for justice and regional reconciliation.

“His arrest is an important step in making sure that all war crime indictees will face justice. It shows that war crimes cannot be committed with impunity,” said Audronius Azubalis, OSCE Chairman.