(Belgrade/Brussels, DTT-NET.COM)- After four years of being at large Croatian former general Ante Gotovina, indicted for war crimes by International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was arrested Wednesday evening in Spain, the chief prosecutor of the ICTY announced on Thursday.

Carla Del Ponte told the media in Serbia’s capital of Belgrade that Gotovina was arrested in Canary Islands and is expected to be transferred soon to the detention center in The hague, Netherlands.

Gotovina was indicted in May 21th 2001 for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war that the prosecution says troops under his command committed over the Serbs in the self-proclaimed Krajina region during and after Operation Storm in August 1995 during which the Serb-occupied territories of Croatia were restored.

General Gotovina has been charged with the death of at least 150 Serbs in 1995, while forces under his command are accused of killing scores of Serbs and of having expelling up to 200,000 from the Krajina region.

Because of the non-arrest of Gotovina and non cooperation of Zagreb authorities with the UN court, Croatia’s EU membership negotiations started only in early October, after being scheduled first for March.

Zagreb has always argued that Gotovina was not hidening in Croatia and the start of talks was possible only when Del Ponte told EU nations that authorities have improved their cooperation with the court.

EU and NATO top officials hailed the arrest of Gotovina.

"I should like to voice my satisfaction at the arrest of General Ante Gotovina. The untiring efforts of the ICTY, in particular Prosecutor Carla del Ponte, to resolve this case have finally borne fruit. I welcome the cooperation in this matter from the Croatian authorities and the efficient work by the Spanish police. The arrest of Ante Gotovina should be a strong incentive to all authorities concerned to redouble their efforts to bring the remaining fugitives to justice", EU’s chief of diplomacy Javier Solana said.

"The arrest of Ante Gotovina is very good news. For reconciliation in the region of the Western Balkans and for ICTY to successfully accomplish its work, it is fundamentally important that all indictees are brought to justice.” European Commissioner in charge of EU enlargement, Olli Rehn said.

“It’s good news, and I think indeed it's also good news for Croatia" NATO’s Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer told reporters in Brussels.