Mladic's arrest makes Serbia's European candidacy a step closer - Tonio Borg

Foreign Minister Tonio Borg has hailed the arrest of General Ratko Mladic, the former head of the Bosnian Serb army.

This, he said, was a very important breakthrough for the Serbian authorities, which brought Belgrade closer to Europe and the European Union.

This arrest shall should justice being done with those who have suffered brutal crimes, Dr Borg stated.

He underlined the strong political will and maturity shown by the government of Serbia and reiterated that Malta has been at the forefront in emphasising that Serbia's accession to the European Union remained the foremost catalyst for change in the Western Balkans.

Serbia's candidacy to the European Union was subject to Mladic's arrest and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Former General Mladic, the most prominent war criminal suspect still at large until a few days ago, was indicted by the Special Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for the brutal crimes in Srebrenica and in the Balkan wars of the early 90's.