The arrest of former Bosnian Serb Army chief Ratko Mladic detained in Serbia for war crimes may help Serbia's accession to the European Union, Serbian President Boris Tadic said at a news conference on Thursday.
Mladic was arrested in Serbia after more than a decade on the run from war crimes charges, Tadic said.
"The arrest is good news for Serbia, for the stability of the region and gives new impetus to Serbia's EU accession process," Tadic said. "His arrest is convincing proof of Serbia's efforts and cooperation with the [International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]."
Serbian TV-channel RTS reported Mladic was arrested 70 kilometers from Belgrade in the village of Lazarevo in northern Serbia where he was staying with a relative.
"A difficult period of our history is over and Serbia's reputation is no longer tarnished," Tadic said.
"I believe that this operation has proved that the services of the Republic of Serbia have made this country safe and have secured the rule of law, and that our work on the search for war crime suspects will increase Serbia's moral credibility in the international arena and raise all security capacities to a higher level. The greatest part of the work was done by the BIA."
"I do not expect that Serbia because of this arrest will be destabilized. Whoever tries to make any troubles will end up in court."
Mladic is accused of playing a key role in the murder of some 7,500 men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995. His detention follows the arrest of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic in 2008.
Tadic said Serbia would extradite Mladic to the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague. He also said this would open the door to Serbia's membership of the European Union.
Serbian media say Mladic was seized in Vojvodina, a northern province of Serbia, early on Thursday. Tadic only said he had been arrested in Serbia.
Mladic's arrest comes shortly after UN war crimes chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz accused Serbia of not doing enough to detain him.
BELGRADE, May 26 (RIA Novosti)
