(THE HAGUE) - The Netherlands, which has been blocking closer ties between Serbia and the European Union, early Tuesday welcomed the "immense step forward" made with Belgrade's capture of former Bosnian Serb wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic, ANP news agency reported.

It quoted the Dutch foreign ministry as saying: "We will have to see in the weeks to come the consequences the EU must draw as to its relations with Serbia.

"It is certain that the arrest of Karadzic is an immense step forward."

The office of Serbian President Boris Tadic said late Monday that its security forces captured Karadzic, 63, and this was confirmed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, less than a fortnight after formation of a pro-European Serbian government.

Serbia late April signed an accord for stabilization and association with the EU, the first step toward long-term integration into the European bloc, but the text has not yet gone into effect pending Belgrade's "full cooperation" with the ICTY on arresting war crimes suspects.

The Netherlands, backed by Belgium, is the last member country to hold out against application of the accord.

The EU's French presidency said in a statement: "The European Union welcomes the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes" by the ICTY.

"This development illustrates the commitment of the new Belgrade government to contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans region. It marks an important step on the way to Serbia's drawing nearer to the European Union."

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