Share this story!            

Croatian general captured

BELGRADE: Fugitive Croatian general Ante Gotovina has been arrested in Spain, UN chief war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte announced in Belgrade on Thursday.

She said he was arrested Wednesday night and would be transferred to The Hague, the headquarters of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Gotovina, one of the UN war crimes tribunal’s top three fugitives, is wanted for crimes committed against ethnic Serbs at the end of the 1991-1995 Serbo-Croatian war.

The fugitive general is still considered a hero by most Croatians, although his case had jeopardised the country’s EU bid.

“I have very good news since Ante Gotovina was arrested this night in Spain,” she said.

“He is in detention now and he finally he will be transfered to The Hague,” she said.

Sagreb started EU entry talks in October after a seven-month delay because it was not providing enough help with the ICTY in finding Gotovina.

“I am very grateful to Croatia for all the work they have done with us and with the Spanish authorities and of course I am grateful to the Spanish authorities who worked with us and with Croatia,” Del Ponte said.

“Since September we were working to find Gotovina and finally we could achieve that.” afp

Home | Foreign

Share this story!