Miliband hails Karadzic arrest

The arrest of Radovan Karadzic has boosted Serbia's hopes of becoming a member of the "European family", Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.

News of the capture of the notorious Bosnian Serb wartime leader coincided with a routine meeting of EU foreign ministers - with EU-Serb relations high on the agenda.

Negotiations on a so-called Stability and Association Agreement (SAA) - usually the prelude to full-blown EU accession talks - were suspended in 2006 as relations between Brussels and the Serb regime deteriorated.

Not least of the problems was the failure of the regime to fulfil a key EU condition for pursuing membership talks - hunt down and bring to justice Karadzic and his military leader Ratko Mladic, both indicted twice for war crimes by the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague.

With one now in detention and being processed for despatch to the Hague to face trial, Mr Miliband made clear the issue of membership was back on the agenda - but not at the moment.

Arriving in Brussels for the meeting, Mr Miliband said the fact that one of the most wanted men was now in detention was crucial, but this would not be the day for deciding on reopening the SAA.

"Justice for the victims of the terrible atrocities of the '90s require co-operation between the Serbian government and the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia. I look forward to that co-operation - we have always said that stability in the Balkans depends on justice for the relatives of those who suffered."

He said the foreign ministers would consider the reopening of the EU agreement with Serbia, but added: "Today is the day to congratulate the Serbian government, a day to say 'Well done' and to look forward to the next steps of co-operation with the Tribunal in the Hague."

Mr Miliband added: "We have always said that Serbia has a place in the European family and that place depends not just on cultural, economic and political issues but also on the European values of justice and human rights.

"The determination of the Serb government to do what the international community asked bodes very well for long-term relations."