Europe's most-wanted war criminal arrested

UN war crimes tribunal urges Serbia to hand over Ratko Mladic, who fled genocide charges

News agencies|Published: 05.26.11 , 16:28

General Ratko Mladic, Europe's most wanted war crimes suspect, has been arrested in Serbia after years in hiding, Belgrade said Thursday.

The prosecutor at the UN's war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said on Thursday he expected arrangements for Mladic's transfer of to the court to be made immediately.

Mladic's defense attorney said his client "does not recognize the authority of the UN war crimes tribunal."

Mladic has been on the run since 1995, after a massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims was discovered. He was arrested in Serbia on Thursday.

"I welcome the arrest of Ratko Mladic ... we await arrangements for his transfer to The Hague where he will stand trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia," prosecutor Serge Brammertz said in a statement.

"We recognise the work done by the Serbian authorities, specifically the National Security Council and Serbia's Action Team, in apprehending Ratko Mladic."

But another prosecutor said Mladic is still in the custody of Serbian officials and his extradition to the UN war crimes court may take about a week.

"He must be interviewed by an investigative judge, presented with the indictment, he has the right to appeal to the extradition decree," said Bruno Vekaric, a deputy war crimes prosecutor.

The White House hailed the Serbian government's capture of Mladic. Ben Rhodes, a deputy White House national security adviser, told reporters the United States also looks forward to Mladic's quick transfer to the UN tribunal at The Hague. He said the arrest showed that such criminals would be brought to justice.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy applauded the arrest, calling it a courageous move that brought Serbia a step closer to future EU integration.

"It's very good news and it's a very courageous decision by the Serbian president. It's one more step towards Serbia's integration one day into the European Union," Sarkozy told reporters during a Group of Eight summit in the northern French seaside town of Deauville.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also welcomed the arrest, saying "he is accused of the most appalling war crimes both in terms of what happened in Srebrenica but also in Sarajevo. There is a very good reason why the long arm of international law had been looking for him for so long."