Pressrelease from the liberal group in the European Parliament 2005-12-08
Watson and Malmström:
Relief as Gotovina is arrested
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats welcome the arrest of Croatian General Ante Gotovina last night in Spain's Canary Islands. Accused of war crimes against Serb civilians during a Croatian offensive, he is now likely to be extradited and transferred to the International War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague.
"This is good news for Croatia. I very much hope that this arrest will contribute to the reconciliation in the Western Balkans. For Croatia, this is a first step towards justice and the last obstacle that was clouding its' accession to the EU", said ALDE leader Graham WATSON.
Cecilia MALMSTROM said: "Ante Gotovina was one of the most wanted men in Croatia. I now hope that the Serb authorities will arrest before Christmas the two remaining war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who have been indicted on charges of genocide war crimes and crimes against humanity. That would enable us to turn a page in history and move towards closer European cooperation in the region".