Joy, relief at Karadzic arrest; closer EU ties seen

By Deutsche Presse-Agentur Jul 22, 2008, 12:23 GMT

Political leaders around Europe reacted with joy and relief on Tuesday at the arrest by Serbian authorities of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic, amid widespread expectation that the development will improve Serbia's ties with the EU.

Karadzic, 63, was arrested after 12 years in hiding on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity during the brutal ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer commended Serbian authorities for 'this important act of cooperation' with the UN war crimes tribunal.

'A prosperous and stable future for the Western Balkans can only be built on justice and reconciliation. Therefore, I encourage Serbia and the other countries in the region to continue their efforts to detain the remaining indicted war criminals still at large, including Ratko Mladic,' the NATO chief said.

Mladic was the Bosnian Serb military leader during the Balkans wars of the 1990s.

European Union officials also welcomed the Karadzic arrest as a development that could pave the way for closer EU-Belgrade ties.

EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana said 'today I want to congratulate the Serbian government. It is a good day for the Balkans,' adding that he believed Belgrade was cooperating 'fully' with the international war crimes tribunal.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn also welcomed Karadzic's arrest, calling it 'a historic moment for international justice' that would go a long way to helping reconciliation in the western Balkans.

It was also a milestone in Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), he said on the fringe of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

'I now very much look forward to discussing the next steps of Serbia's European orientation,' he said in reference to Belgrade's attempt for membership of the European Union.

Germany also welcomed the news, with Chancellor Angela Merkel in a statement calling it 'good news for the entire Balkans.' Merkel said 'victims can rest assured that grave human-rights breaches will not go unpunished.'

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the arrest marked a 'milestone in relations between Serbia and the European Union,' while British Foreign Secretary David Miliband hailed the arrest, saying it 'will help close the region's decades of conflict.'

Paddy Ashdown, the former European Union (EU) High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, described the arrest as an 'extremely important piece of justice for the world at large.'

Karadzic had been involved in the 'most terrible and black period of crime' since World War II, said Ashdown.

Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik greeted the arrest, saying Karadzic's arrest proved he was not in the Srpska Republic, the Bosnian Serb entity.

'All those who were claiming for years that Karadzic was here, pressing and punishing the Srpska Republic for not arresting him, could see now that he could not be arrested here as he was not in here,' Dodik said in Banja Luka.

He reiterated that all those indicted for war crimes before The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) should face justice.

Mladen Bosic, president of the nationalist Serb Democratic Party (SDS) established by Karadzic himself some 18 years ago, expressed his disappointment with Karadzic's arrest, accusing the new Serbian government of apprehending the former SDS leader.

He also criticized the work of the ICTY, claiming the UN War Crimes Tribunal was not a court of justice, but rather a political institution.

Bosnian Muslim authorities in Sarajevo welcomed Karadzic's arrest, saying a new future for Bosnia-Herzegovina was now open.

'This is at least some satisfaction for the families of the victims of the war,' the Chairman of Bosnia's tripartite state Presidency Haris Silajdzic said in Sarajevo.

Although he had been sceptical about the prospects for Karadzic's arrest, Silajdzic said that his belief in justice has been restored.

His Croat colleague in the Presidency, Zeljko Komsic, said: 'This is a great day for Bosnia-Herzegovina.'

Both Silajdzic and Komsic warned at the same time that justice would not be completely served until Karadzic's closest associate, his army commander Ratko Mladic, was also arrested.

Among further reactions, Nordic foreign ministers welcomed the arrest of Karadzic, while Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt commented, 'This is very good news.' He praised the new Serbian government for showing its will 'to live up to its international and European commitments.'

In Brussels, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said 'it is a positive step in the right direction but of course there is still a lot to be done. It is certainly a good step but there are still a few criminals that need to be caught.'

Hungarian Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz said Karadzic's arrest was a 'clear signal' sent by Belgrade to the EU.

'The leadership of the country with President Boris Tadic at the top is really determined to cooperate with the court of justice,' Goencz told the Hungarian news agency MTI, referring to the ICTY.

The head of Bulgaria's parliamentary foreign affairs committee Solomon Passi called the arrest 'a relief for Europe,' adding that 'Serbia and Bosnia have been resurrected for a new life in Europe,' would 'help overcome the legacy of the past' on the Balkans.