Karadzic has been on the run for nearly 13 years, along with the Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic. They face charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws of war, relating to the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina between April 1992 and July 1995.

Serge Brammertz, head prosecutor for the ICTY, said, "This is a very important day for the victims who have waited for this arrest for over a decade."

"It is also an important day for international justice, because it clearly demonstrates that nobody is beyond the reach of the law and that sooner or later all fugitives will be brought to justice," he added.

Karadzic was arrested on a bus in a Belgrade suburb on Friday by Serbian police. He had been living in disguise in New Belgrade, practicing alternative medicine under the name of Dragan Dabic.

Richard Holbrooke brokered the agreements that ended the war in Bosnia in 1995. He has called Karadzic "the Osama bin Laden of Europe." This week he described Karadzic to the International Herald Tribune as the most evil man in the Balkans, saying, "Karadzic was a real racist believer. Karadzic really enjoyed ordering the killing of Muslims."

Serbia's war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic has said that a judge has ordered Karadzic's transfer to the ICTY in The Hague. Karadzic has always maintained his innocence and refused to recognize the ICTY. He now has three days to appeal against the ruling. His lawyer says he intends to do so.

News of Karadzic's arrest was greeted with jubilation in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Some of the charges against Karadzic stem from the 44-month siege of Sarajevo, where Serbian forces "used shelling and sniping to kill, maim, wound and terrorize the civilian inhabitants."

There were markedly different scenes in Belgrade. Serbian ultra-nationalists regard Karadzic a hero. An angry crowd of supporters gathered outside the special court where he was being held chanting "Karadzic hero!" and "Tadic Traitor!" Boris Tadic is the pro-EU president of Serbia. The secretary general of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party, Aleksandar Vucic, described the arrest as dreadful news, saying, "Serbia is on its way to vanishing."

Failure to arrest indicted war criminals has been one of the main barriers to Serbian entry into the European Union. It is surely no coincidence that Karadzic's arrest came just two weeks after a new pro-EU Serbian government was formed.

Olli Rehn, the EU's enlargement commissioner, said, "This is certainly a milestone in Serbia's cooperation with the international criminal tribunal on the former Yugoslavia. It proves the determination of the new government to achieve full cooperation with the tribunal."

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Karadzic's capture demonstrated the government's political commitment to EU membership. After meeting Jeremic in Brussels, Rehn said the arrest had moved Serbia closer to EU candidate status.

The next few days will be difficult ones for the Serbian government. Violent protests against Karadzic's transfer to The Hague are anticipated. The EU's continued support will be crucial to persuade Serbs that membership of the EU is entirely achievable.

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