Karadzic arrest marks Serbian break with nationalism

By Ellie Tzortzi - Analysis

BELGRADE (Reuters) - The arrest of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic will propel Serbia closer to the rest of Europe and signals a definitive break with the nationalism of the past.

His arrest on Serbian soil after 11 years on the run showed Serbia's two-week old government putting pragmatism before pride with the aim of pushing Serbs towards European Union membership, economic prosperity and the chance of a better life.

"This shows the government is serious about removing all obstacles on Serbia's path to the European Union," said political analyst Dusan Pavlovic.

"It is guided by the principle that the first and most painful moves should be tackled first, as a government is at its strongest at the beginning."

The government brings together the pro-Western Democratic Party of Serbia and the Socialist Party of Serbia once led by late nationalist autocrat Slobodan Milosevic, the architect of the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s.

The West has welcomed the arrest and many officials point to a new era for a nation that has spent most of the last 18 years isolated over its role in the wars, and mostly unrepentant.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the arrest was "very important for Serbia's European aspirations."

The EU has told Serbia progress towards EU membership depends on it delivering all war crimes fugitives to the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague and facing up to the crimes committed in its name.

"It's a historic day, a day, I think, which is very important for Serbia," said Paddy Ashdown, who took a tough line against Bosnian Serb denial and defiance in almost four years as peace overseer in Bosnia.

"They can now begin to put the past behind them and move forward towards Europe."

NO SURPRISE

Ljiljana Smajlovic, editor-in-chief of respected Serbian newspaper Politika, said the arrest vindicated Carla del Ponte, the former chief prosecutor at The Hague who said Serbia was capable of arresting all fugitives but lacked political will.

Del Ponte had said for years that Karadzic, his military commander Ratko Mladic and other fugitives were hiding in Serbia under the protection of hardliners in the security services.

But as recently as Monday morning, Serbia's point man for the Hague, Rasim Ljajic, told state media the authorities did not know for sure where the fugitives were hiding.

"The pressure to extradite Mladic will remain," Smajlovic said. "The Dutch especially will insist on that as a condition for the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (with the EU)."