Milosevic defence delayed

Slobodan Milosevic will start his defence against war crimes charges at the UN tribunal later than planned, the latest in a series of delays due to the former Yugoslav president’s poor health.

The trial, which began in early 2002, has already been set back 65 days because Milosevic was repeatedly ill with flu and the effects of high blood pressure.

Prosecutors in The Hague rested their case in February after calling around 300 witnesses. The trial was originally scheduled to resume in early June, but was delayed once before due to Milosevic’s poor health. It is now set to begin July 5.

The court said its new decision was based on Milosevic’s ”continued ill health” and the advice of his court-appointed cardiologist to rest for two weeks.

The court said Milosevic would then be allowed “to resume work, initially for three days per week.”

Milosevic is defending himself against 66 counts of war crimes, including genocide, allegedly committed during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Milosevic’s lawyers say he hopes to call former Prime Minister Tony Blair and former US President Bill Clinton to the stand.