UN tribunal again suspends Milosevic genocide trial for health reasons

Plans to resume hearings in the trial of Slobodan Milosevic have been postponed at least through Thursday because of the former Yugoslav President's illness, judges at the United Nations war crimes tribunal announced today.

The UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) called off the hearing, which was scheduled to resume Monday. Mr. Milosevic has suffered at least two bouts of flu since his trial started, causing proceedings to be delayed by a month.

During the summer, the former Yugoslav President was found to be at severe risk from heart problems, according to a medical report requested by the UN court. The trial judges recommended further treatment for Mr. Milosevic, and requested a report from a cardiologist before they consider further steps to ease any stress on his health.

Mr. Milosevic is under indictment by the Tribunal for various crimes allegedly committed during the early 1990s in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Kosovo during the 1999 conflict there. On 11 September 2002, the Prosecution finished presenting its case with regard to Kosovo. The Croatia and Bosnia hearings opened two weeks later on 26 September.

In other Tribunal news, the trial chambers of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) resumed their public hearings in Arusha on Monday, with nine cases in progress involving 22 accused.