Serbia finds its conscience

In the end, Radovan Karadzic8217;s capture came not in the manner of his clicheacute;-ridden nationalist poetry, with a last stand against external forces and in defence of Serbdom, but instead at the hands of the Serbian government. The man accused of unleashing the Bosnian War, which saw some 100,000 people die, including 8,000 civilians massacred in the Srebrenica safe-haven, is said to have been arrested not in a mountain hold-out in his native Montenegro, but on a Belgrade bus. Until recently, most Balkans analysts had almost given up hope that any of the remaining fugitives would be caught8230;

The Hague tribunal8217;s prosecutor Serge Brammertz, who will prosecute the former Bosnian Serb leader, called the arrest 8220;a very important day for the victims who have waited8230; over a decade.8221; But the former Bosnian Serb leader8217;s arrest is also a boon for the Serb president, Boris Tadic, who has showed that he is willing to cut his country8217;s links with its past and put Serbia securely on the road to European integration. That road had, until now, been blocked by Serbia8217;s unwillingness to arrest indicted war criminals like Karadzic. The stabilisation and association agreement 8212; the first step toward EU integration 8212; has languished in the Serbian parliament. It is now likely to be ratified by a new parliament, and the EU can be expected to be much more forward-leaning that it has in the past8230;

Serbia and the Balkans still have a long way to travel. Popular denial of Serbia8217;s offensive role in the wars of the 8217;90s is still widespread and the arrest of General Mladic may provoke a more violent and popular reaction. But for now, Serbia deserves to feel proud. It has done the right thing for Radovan Karadzic8217;s victims, its own future and the cause of international justice.

Excerpted from a comment by Daniel Korski in 8216;The Guardian8217;