Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia Dimitrios Kypreos assessed that the arrest of Ratko Mladic would strengthen Serbia' position in the international community and that it proved Serbia was fully committed to the cooperation with The Hague Tribunal.

The arrest of Ratko Mladic will strengthen Serbia's position in the international community represents a significant contribution to regional reconciliation and to securing justice for war crime victims, Ambassador Kypreos said in a release.

He stressed that this step represented a major success in the long-term efforts to bring to justice all fugitives of the ICTY and showed the Serbian authorities' commitment to full cooperation with the Tribunal.

It also shows the Serbian society is willing to face the painful legacy of the past, he added. Ambassador Kypreos stated in the press release that the OSCE mission was successfully working with Serbia's authorities and judiciary, particularly with the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor, Ministry of the Interior and National Council for Cooperation with the ICTY to improve the capacity for investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

The OSCE Mission welcomes the results Serbia's institutions achieved and is ready for further cooperation with them in strengthening accountability for war crimes, the release says.