General Ante Gotovina, the Croatian war crimes fugitive, has been arrested in a move that will improve Croatia’s relations with the international community and smooth its European Union entry talks.

Gen Gotovina, who has been on the run since he was indicted in 2001 by the international war crimes tribunal in the Hague, was seized by Spanish police at a hotel in the Canary Islands. He was due to appear before a Madrid court late on Thursday and was expected to be flown to the Dutch capital in the next few days.