Serbia's EU prospects brighten after Mladic arrest.

[pampango]

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/serbias-eu-prospects-brighten-mladi-arrest-news-505183

EU leaders hastened to welcome the arrest of war criminal Ratko Mladić by Serbian authorities today (26 May). Surrendering Mladić, known as 'the butcher of Srebrenica', to the International Crime Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia was a major precondition of granting Serbia candidate EU member status.

Mladić's arrest was announced by Serbian President Boris Tadić at a hastily convened press event, just as High Representative Catherine Ashton was en route to Belgrade for a visit during which she had been expected to warn Serbia that the arrests of war criminals Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić were a sine qua non precondition of the country's accession to the EU.

"This is an important step forward for Serbia and for international justice," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement. "We expect Ratko Mladić to be transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia without delay. Full cooperation with the ICTY remains essential on Serbia's path towards EU membership," she added.

Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle today called an extraordinary press conference, stressing that the Serb authorities had delivered and proved their credibility.