Sofia - The arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karazic is "a relief for Europe," the head of Bulgaria's parliamentary foreign affairs committee said Tuesday.

The move would also accelerate the integration of Serbia, Bosnia- Herzegovina and Montenegro into European structures, Solomon Passi told the Bulgarian news agency BETA.

"Serbia and Bosnia have been resurrected for a new life in Europe, said Passi, a former foreign minister, adding that the arrest would "help overcome the legacy of the past" on the Balkans.

Brussels - EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed Tuesday the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karazic, calling it "a historic moment for international justice."

Rehn said the arrest suspecte war crimminal would go a long way to helping with reconciliation on the western Balkans.

It was also a milestone in Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), he said on the fringe of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

"It also proves that the new government of Serbia has the determination to turn the page, leave the nationalist past behind and move towards a European future."

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed Tuesday the arrest of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, calling it "good news for the entire Balkans."

Sarajevo/Banja Luka  - Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik welcomed Tuesday the arrest of the most wanted war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic, saying Karadzic's arrest in Belgrade proved that he was not in the Srpska Republic, the Bosnian Serb entity.

"All those who were claiming for years that Karadzic was here, pressing and punishing the Srpska Republic for not arresting him, could see now that he could not be arrested here as he was not in here," Dodik said in Banja Luka.

Brussels - European Union officials Tuesday welcomed the arrest of fugitive Serbian war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic, a development which could pave the way for closer EU-Belgrade ties.

EU foreign policy commissioner Javier Solana, speaking on the periphery of an EU foreign ministers' meeting, said "today I want to congratulate the Serbian government. It is a good day for the Balkans."

He said he believed Belgrade was cooperating "fully" with the international war crimes tribunal.

London - The British government has hailed the arrest of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic as "good news" that will open up a brighter future for Serbia in Europe.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement early Tuesday: "This arrest will help close the region's decades of conflict, and pave the way for a brighter, European future for Serbia and the region."