At last!

Ratko Mladic has been arrested, in Serbia, details still unknown. President Tadic is quoted by the New York Times:

Extradition is happening. This is the end of the search for Mladic. It’s not the end of the search for all those who helped Mladic and others to hide and whether people from the government were involved…this is happening on the day Catherine Ashton is coming to Serbia.

Yes, the moment is a good one, not only for the occasion of Ashton’s visit but also just as Chief Prosecutor Brammertz was to release his report on Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. Convenient, but welcome nevertheless. So too Tadic’s reference to searching for those who helped Mladic all these years, and his reference on NPR this morning to the importance of this arrest for regional reconciliation.

But the main thing this morning is just this: at last Ratko Mladic is headed for justice.

PS:  Compliments to Nenad Pejic of RFE/RL for his well done “flash analysis.”

PPS: Too bad President Tadic can’t even mention “Kosovo” without adding something incomprehensible about “our autonomy Kosovo.” And too bad The Guardian couldn’t find a Bosnian Muslim who thought Mladic has a right to be defended:

Daniel Serwer

Share
Published by
Daniel Serwer
Tags: Balkans

Recent Posts

Trump’s imperial ambitions won’t end well

Headlines do not solve problems. But they are all Trump really known how to make.…

4 days ago

What decent people hope for in 2026

Global peace and security are in free fall, while decent people worldwide hope for a…

5 days ago

Serbia is not on the fast track to Europe

The best hope for progress is in EU accession for Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia.…

1 week ago

Sanity and decency won’t suffice

In the meanwhile, I hope some people are thinking hard not just about sanity and…

1 month ago

Trump’s fake peace in pieces

The racism, misogyny, economic illiteracy, and disdain for decency will catch up with him sooner…

1 month ago

Stability is the problem in the Balkans

Once Bosnians, Kosovans, and Serbians take responsibility, progress toward EU and NATO membership will be…

1 month ago