Capture no coincidence

Not just noble objectives on the part of Belgrade lie behind the arrest of presumed war criminal Ratko Mladić, the liberal daily Sme writes, suspecting pressure from the EU: "It's hard to believe that Mladić could have hidden at home for so long without the highest - or at least very high - officials covering up for him. For that reason it's debatable whether the arrest really is a clear indication that Serbia wants to cooperate with The Hague Tribunal and uphold the values on which the European Union is based. It is striking how close the timing of the arrest is to the visit of chief EU diplomat Ashton in Belgrade, as well as to the most recent confirmation by the Netherlands that it would veto Serbia's EU membership if the war criminals were not handed over. But Belgrade was even more impressed by the news that the accession negotiations with Croatia are on the verge of completion. Belgrade presumably wanted Zagreb to have as little say as possible on whether Serbia joins the EU."

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