World Media on Karadzic’s Arrest

Yesterday night, all world media agencies reported the arrest of former leader of Bosnian Serbs, Radovan Karadzic, in Serbia, as Top News. Tabloids in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro interrupted regular programmes to broadcast the news.

The American media agency AP called Karadzic the architect of massacre in Bosnia-Herzegovina and one of the most wanted fugitives in the world who had long escaped justice.

British Reuters wrote that the arrest of Karadzic was one of the most important conditions for Serbia’s approach to the EU, and that his arrest took place on the even of the meeting of EU Foreign Minister over relations with Serbia.

French AFP wrote that Karadzic was arrested less than a month after the arrest of Stojan Zupljanin. They added that this is another success for Pro-European rulers of Belgrade, which want to speed up the approach to the UE.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed contentment due to the arrest of Radovan Karadzic.

- This arrest, after so much waiting, clearly manifests the desire of the new government of Belgrade to approach the European Union and to bring peace and stability in the Balkans – said Sarkozy.

German media agency DPA wrote that Karadzic war arrested after a getaway that lasted over thirteen years-

American CNN was the first to dedicate a programme to the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, only two hours after the news arrived.

The news on the arrest of Radovan Karadzic mobilised electronic media in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the night. They immediately broadcasted TV shows on the event. Bosnian media in particular stressed the fact that Karadzic was president of the “Serb Republic” (Republika Srpska) at the time when the Bosnian Serb forces committed genocide of Bosniaks in Srebrenica.

The state television of the “Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina” (Federacija BiH) broadcasted the images of the streets of Sarajevo, where queues of cars celebrating Karadzic’s arrest .

 Montenegrin tabloids interrupted their regular programmes in order to broadcast the news on the arrest of one of the most wanted war criminals, and come media connected to the programmes of Serbian television.

Belgrade media also broadly informed on the arrest of Karadzic. Serbian B91 and Fox broadcasted special informative programmes which hosted politicians, analysts and non governmental organisations.