A major obstacle to Croatia's bid for EU membership has been removed with the capture of wanted war criminal General Ante Gotovina, MEPs said tonight.
Formal accession talks began with Croatia in October - but with a warning that no real progress could be made until Gotovina was in custody first. It was claimed the Croatian authorities were not doing enough to bring to justice a man sought by the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague for crimes against humanity in connection with the massacre of Serb civilians.
Today it was announced he had been held in the Spanish Canary Islands, and Labour MEP Richard Howitt said: "Gotovina is safely in custody and Croatia can now get on with joining the EU as swiftly as possible".
Mr Howitt added: "Gotovina has been a major stumbling block in Croatia's EU negotiations. Even though talks opened in October, there were grave doubts about Croatia's co-operation with the International War Crimes Tribunal while he remained at large."
He went on: "This is a clear vindication of the UK-led position to open accession talks with Croatia in October and lifts a huge obstacle to the progress of these talks so that Croatia can become a full member of the EU.
Mr Howitt said Croatia still had to dismantle the "networks of secrecy" that had been hiding Gotovina but added: "Gotovina was one of the most horrendous war criminals, responsible for massacre and human rights abuses. The news that he is behind bars is an historic moment that will help to close a bloody and tragic period, not just for the Balkans but for the whole of Europe."
Graham Watson, leader of the Liberals in the European Parliament, said: "This is good news for Croatia. I very much hope that this arrest will contribute to the reconciliation in the Western Balkans. For Croatia, this is a first step towards justice and the last obstacle that was clouding its accession to the EU".
Christian Democrat MEP Elmar Brok said: "This is proof of the honesty of the Croatian government. But it also proves that the one-sided criticism against Croatia was unfounded.