Karadzic wants more time for genocide defence

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appeared in court yesterday for the first time since his trial for genocide started but said he would take no further part unless he had more time to prepare his defence.

Mr Karadzic, acting as his own attorney, boycotted the start of proceedings last week before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, where he faces 11 war crimes charges, including two of genocide during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

Mr Karadzic, who has denied all charges, was the leader of the Serb Republic that sought to carve its own state from Bosnia during the break up of Yugoslavia in Europe's worst conflict since World War Two.

He said he needs 10 more months to prepare, arguing he has been "snowed under" by 1.3 million pages of documents.

Prosecutors said in opening statements that Mr Karadzic orchestrated one of "humanity's darkest chapters" and is responsible for the killings of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the village of Srebrenica in July 1995.

The charges also relate to the 43-month siege of Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb forces which began in 1992. An estimated 10,000 people were killed in the siege as the former Yugoslavia was torn apart in fighting between Serbs, Croats and Muslims.

"I don't want to boycott these proceedings but I cannot take part in something that has been bad from the start," Mr Karadzic said when asked by Presiding Judge O-Gon Kwon if he would continue his boycott.

The three-judge panel adjourned and said it would decide later this week on how to proceed. Planned prosecution witness testimony for today was cancelled pending the decision.