NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday hailed the war crimes verdict against former Bosnian Serbian commander Ratko Mladic as a victory for the rule of law.
Mladic, dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia", was sentenced to life in jail by UN judges in the Hague after being found guilty of 10 counts including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 war in the former Yugoslavia.
"I welcome the ruling of the UN Criminal Tribunal against Ratko Mladic," Stoltenberg said in a statement. "This shows that the rule of law is working and those responsible for war crimes are held to account."
The Atlantic alliance played an important role in ending the war in Bosnia, unleashing air strikes on Bosnian Serb positions in 1995 and deploying a peacekeeping force later that year after the Dayton peace accords.
Stoltenberg said Mladic was guilty of "appalling crimes against civilians" including the 1995 massacre of almost 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
"I hope that today's ruling will move the region further down the path of peace and reconciliation," Stoltenberg said.