[autom.vertaling] Josep Borrell `stemt in met de arrestatie van Algemene Ante Gotovina (en)

Following today's announcement of the arrest in Spain of the Croatian General Ante Gotovina, Josep Borrell, President of the European Parliament, issued the following statement:

`In a personal capacity, and on behalf of the European Parliament, I welcome the arrest of General Ante GOTOVINA last night in Spain.

That arrest is a reward for the great determination displayed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and its Chief Prosecutor, Mrs Carla Del PONTE, who have always enjoyed Parliament's unstinting support.

Moreover, in its resolution of 28 April 2005 Parliament clearly called on the Member States of the European Union to assist the ICTY, in particular by securing effective state cooperation and by handing over indictees, including Gotovina.

The forthcoming transfer of General GOTOVINA to The Hague to stand trial before the ICTY is consistent with Parliament's call for all persons suspected of war crimes to be brought to justice.

At present, the indictees Mladic and Karadzic are still free. It is important that every possible step should be taken to bring this unacceptable situation to an end.

Finally, I should like to congratulate the Spanish authorities and security forces, who made the arrest possible, and their Croatian counterparts on their effective cooperation. This event marks the happy conclusion to an affair which has long placed a strain on relations between the European Union and Croatia.'