Serbians eager to make a 'new start'

Dubai: The arrest of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic is being celebrated by Serbians in Dubai.

Karadzic was arrested on Monday after being on the run for more than ten years, by the UN tribunal for war crimes and genocide.

M.J., who was born in the former Yugoslavia, said: "It's always bad to have any war criminal associated with your country; it's good to get rid of them all. There's a feeling amongst Bosnians that this is a very good development. Hopefully, Serbia can now have a new start."

M.K., also from the former Yugoslavia, said: "There's a feeling that this is a really good step forward. The Serbian people tend to think that The Hague [the UN court] is particularly hard on Serbian war criminals and that they should be tried in our own country.

EU acceptance

"Hopefully, this step forward means that we'll be accepted into the European Union quicker," he said.

The arrest of indicted war criminals have been a stumbling stone to Serbia's entry into the EU. Karadzic has been charged on 11 counts including genocide and crimes against humanity.