This is a symbolic message - bad times are over and good times can begin

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel

The big shark had now been taken out of the water, declared the Bosnian Foreign Minister, Zlatko Lagumdzija.

It was a big relief for his countrymen, he said, even for those who had supported Milosevic in the past.

Slovenia's Foreign Minister, Dimitrij Rupel, said the extradition of Milosevic would have a positive impact on the stability of the entire region.

The bad times are over, he said - the good times have begun.

Milosevic's extradition was greeted with relief by ministers

The Macedonian Vice-President, Ilija Filipovski, said the news came at the right time for his troubled country - a message, he said, to terrorists that justice would be followed through.

His Croatian counterpart, Tonino Picula, said the extradition of Milosevic was good news for the victims of the family and a chance for the people of Yugoslavia to put the past behind them.

For his part, the Yugoslav Foreign Minister, Goran Svilanovic, said he was optimistic about the step, but he said it was time to stop linking the personal destiny of one man to the future of his country.