Milosevic regains right to act as own defence lawyer

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC is to regain the right to act as his own defence lawyer, but appeal judges at the UN war crimes tribunal said he yesterday must accept a standby lawyer in case he becomes ill.

The written ruling by the five judge panel in The Hague essentially reverses a decision by trial judges to impose a court-appointed lawyer on the former Yugoslav president.

The appeal judges ruled that "when he is physically capable of doing so, Milosevic will take the lead in his case." But the ruling said an appointed lawyer must remain ready on standby if Milosevic's "health problems resurface with sufficient gravity."