PM: Vasiljkovic's arrest just an episode in administration of justice

The extradition of Dragan Vasiljkovic is just an episode in the administration of justice by Croatia, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said on Thursday.

When asked by the press to comment on Vasiljkovic's extradition from Australia, Milanovic said that whoever had violated the laws of war should fear that sooner or later they would be arrested and brought to justice.

"The Croatian state defends and protects its laws and administers justice, and this is just another episode in that process," Milanovic said after meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Zagreb.

Vasiljkovic, who commanded Serb paramilitary forces during Croatia's war of independence in the early 1990s, landed at Zagreb airport shortly after 1130 hours on Thursday and was to be transferred to the southern coastal city of Split to be tried for his role in war crimes committed against prisoners of war and civilians.

"Dragan Vasiljkovic has been extradited after a long legal battle that began nine years ago and is now in Croatia. He will be tried like any other accused," Justice Minister Orsat Miljenic told a special news conference.

(Hina) vm

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