But the hearing was delayed as judges read out a doctors' evaluation of the state of the defendant's health that warned Milosevic has suffered organ damage due to his high blood pressure and needs rest.
Milosevic blamed the court for his physical condition, then sat impassively as judges discussed how to proceed.
Milosevic was expected to start his defense today and was allotted four hours for that purpose.
Judge Patrick Robinson was quoted as saying "it is absolutely essential that Milosevic rests."
The judges also reportedly agreed that a "radical review" of the trial process is in order and adjourned the trial indefinitely to discuss what to do next.
"The time has come for a radical review of the trial process and the continuation of the trial in the light of the health problems of the accused [Slobodan Milosevic]," Robinson said.
The trial, at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, began in February 2002. Charges include 66 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and stem from his alleged role in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia in the early 1990s and in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999. He faces separate genocide charges for the war in Bosnia, which left more than 200,000 people dead.
(Reuters/AFP/AP/dpa)
Milosevic blamed the court for his physical condition, then sat impassively as judges discussed how to proceed.
Milosevic was expected to start his defense today and was allotted four hours for that purpose.
Judge Patrick Robinson was quoted as saying "it is absolutely essential that Milosevic rests."
The judges also reportedly agreed that a "radical review" of the trial process is in order and adjourned the trial indefinitely to discuss what to do next.
"The time has come for a radical review of the trial process and the continuation of the trial in the light of the health problems of the accused [Slobodan Milosevic]," Robinson said.
The trial, at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, began in February 2002. Charges include 66 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and stem from his alleged role in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia in the early 1990s and in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999. He faces separate genocide charges for the war in Bosnia, which left more than 200,000 people dead.
(Reuters/AFP/AP/dpa)
