United Nations Radio

A Croatian general, charged with war crimes against Serb civilians during the Balkan wars in the 1990s, has been arrested in Spain.

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia announced General Ante Gotovina's arrest during a visit to the Serbian capital, Belgrade. James Landale is the spokesman for the Tribunal:

"Ante Gotovina has been at large for over 4 years. He is the most senior Croatian person to have been indicted with war crimes. We're confident that his transfer to the Hague will take place relatively soon once the necessary legal and practical arrangements are put in place."

The Prosecutor of the Tribunal Carla Del Ponte has expressed the hope that efforts would now be stepped up to arrest the tribunal's two most wanted men, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander Ratko Mladic, both of whom are still at large.