SNS leader: Arrest surprise, questions still unanswered

Opposition Serb Progressive Party (SNS) leader Tomislav Nikolic said on Thursday in Kraljevo that Ratko Mladic's arrest comes as a "complete surprise". The SNS leadership will convene on Friday and release a statement regarding this event, Nikolic said, adding "this is not a time partisan reactions, but for reactions from the people and the state". SNS leader: Arrest surprise, questions still unanswered "This is a man wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, yet in Serbia, they never managed to present him as a criminal and evildoer, and a large majority of the citizens, just like us, will not know how to react today and what consequences this will have on the life in Serbia," Nikolic was quoted as saying by news agencies. He added that he believes the operation had been planned for a long time, and that the Serbian president wanted to "make the nation happy" that another job has been completed. "We will see... there are many questions to be asked... who saw this man yesterday and recognized him. Did Serbia perhaps know all along where Mladic was, what made them decide to arrest him today," said the SNS leader. He believes that the Serbian president "owes many answers and that it is not enough for him to simply say that the job is done". Tomislav Nikolic (FoNet, file)

SNS leader: Arrest surprise, questions still unanswered

"This is a man wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, yet in Serbia, they never managed to present him as a criminal and evildoer, and a large majority of the citizens, just like us, will not know how to react today and what consequences this will have on the life in Serbia," Nikolić was quoted as saying by news agencies.

He added that he believes the operation had been planned for a long time, and that the Serbian president wanted to "make the nation happy" that another job has been completed.

"We will see... there are many questions to be asked... who saw this man yesterday and recognized him. Did Serbia perhaps know all along where Mladić was, what made them decide to arrest him today," said the SNS leader.

He believes that the Serbian president "owes many answers and that it is not enough for him to simply say that the job is done".