The tribunal said in a statement on its web site that it "welcomes the announcement today of the arrest of Ratko Mladic in Serbia, after he evaded arrest for 16 years. Mladic was indicted in 1995 by the Office of the Prosecutor for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during the 1992 to 1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina."
"The Tribunal looks forward to his expeditious transfer from Serbia to The Hague, following the completion of relevant judicial proceedings required by Serbian law. After transfer of custody to the Tribunal, Mladic will be detained pending his initial appearance before a judge. At the initial appearance, Mladic will be given an opportunity to enter a plea to each of the charges brought against him in the indictment."
Describing the arrest of Mladic as a milestone in the Tribunal's history which brings the institution closer to the successful completion of its mandate, with 160 out of 161 indicted persons having now been arrested, this UN court in The Hague called for the apprehension of Goran Hadzic, the sole remaining fugitive, in the very near future.
Hadzic, a Croatian Serb rebel leader, has been on the run since the Hague tribunal issued an indictment against him in July 2004. He is charged with murder and deportation of thousands of Croats and other non-Serbs. He is also held responsible for the atrocities in Vukovar and the killing of 250 Croats at Ovcara after Serb rebels entered that eastern Croatian city in November 1991.