UN war crimes tribunal rules to appoint lawyer for Karadzic

THE UN war crimes tribunal has ruled that former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic will be appointed a lawyer to represent him whenever he fails to appear in court.

It also postponed the resumption of his trial until March 1, 2010, when the new lawyer should be ready to take over, if needed.

The decision comes after Karadzic boycotted the start of his war crimes trial last week, arguing that he has not had enough time to prepare his defence.

Karadzic, accused of masterminding Serb atrocities throughout the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, faces two counts of genocide and nine other charges of crimes against humanity. He has refused to enter pleas, but insists he is innocent of all charges.

The decision allows Karadzic to continue to represent himself in court for the time being. However, it said Karadzic should co-operate with the new lawyer in preparing his defence.