Bosnian Serb Leader Karadzic Defiant at Hague War Crimes Trial

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appears in the courtroom of the the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) War Crimes tribunal in the Hague, Netherlands, 03 November 2009.

Ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has insisted he needs more time to prepare his defence, during his first appearance at his war crimes trial.

Karadzic told a procedural hearing in The Hague that he had not been given the opportunity to go through vast amounts of prosecution documents.

He is representing himself, and last week boycotted the start of his trial.

Presiding Judge O-Gon Kwon adjourned the trial, saying he would rule later in the week on how it will proceed, the BBC reported.

At the start of Tuesday's special hearing, Karadzic said: "I do not want to boycott these proceedings, but I cannot take part in something that has been bad from the start and where my fundamental rights have been violated."

Judge Kwon replied that the court had already determined the defendant had had ample time to prepare.

"Clearly you disagree with these decisions," the judge added. "However, as I previously stated to you, it is the trial chamber, not an accused person, which determines readiness for trial."

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