Spindelegger on the arrest of Hadžić: “Serbia is moving tangibly closer to the EU”

Vienna, 20 July 2011 – Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger was pleased to hear the news about the Serbian arrest of the former leader of the Croatian Serbs and alleged war criminal, Goran Hadžić. “By arresting the last alleged war criminal on the run Serbia is putting an end to Milosevic’s destructive policies, ridding itself of the nationalist shadows of the past,” explained Spindelegger.

“With the arrest of Hadžić only two months after the extradition of Ratko Mladić to the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, Serbia has met yet another requirement of the EU and made a contribution to international criminal justice. I am confident that this fact will be taken into account when a formal decision is made in autumn regarding the forthcoming launch of EU accession negotiations with Serbia. Now it is imperative to reach further progress in the dialogue with Kosovo,” concluded the Foreign Minister.

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