Milosevic allies demand six-week recess

Slobodan Milosevic’s party allies today demanded a six-week adjournment of the former Yugoslav president’s UN war crimes trial, citing his deteriorating health.

The Socialist Party politicians in Serbia’s parliament issued an appeal, demanding from the Serbian government “to do whatever it can to stand in protection of its citizen and long-time president”.

The trial of Slobodan Milosevic was adjourned yesterday, until Monday, after he said he was feeling too ill to continue.

Milosevic, 64, suffers chronic high blood pressure, which has led to months of delays in his landmark case at his UN. war crimes trial in The Hague, Netherlands, which began in February 2002.