French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in Brussles on Thursday he was satisfied with the arrest of Gotovina, AFP reported. Douste-Blazy told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels the arrest was in line with France's wish that all war criminals be brought before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds also expressed satisfaction with Gotovina's arrest, adding that Sweden actively dealt with the issue of Croatia's cooperation with the war crimes tribunal at The Hague as one of the key elements for the continuation of Croatia's process of drawing closer to the EU.
Today's news is important not only for Croatia but for the entire process of reconciliation in the western Balkans, she said.
The European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, issued a statement hailing the cooperation of Croatian authorities and the efficiency of the Spanish police. Solana said Gotovina's arrest should be a strong motive for other countries to double their efforts and arrest war crimes suspects who were still at large.
Austria also hails Gotovina's arrest, spokesman for the Austrian Foreign Ministry Georg Schnetzer told AFP.