The Hague - The Hague tribunal will decide later this week about the future of the war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, the judges said at the end of a hearing on Tuesday. The court will give a written decision on whether it will appoint a defence lawyer, continue proceedings in the Bosnian Serb leader's absence or compel him to attend the trial.
Karadzic, 64, faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including two counts of genocide for acts allegedly committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.
The former psychiatrist, who is representing himself at the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY), claims he was not given enough time to prepare himself.
He has refused to attend the trial that opened last week, but on Tuesday appeared for the first time when the court held a "status conference" to discuss how to proceed.
Karadzic told the judges that although the defence had encountered "nothing but obstacles from the very beginning," he had worked day and night and "invested an inhuman effort" in his defence.
"I have," Karadzic said, "even given up my daily walks and sports."
Refraining from indicating when exactly he would be ready for trial, Karadzic said he would be readz to appear in court before the expiry of the 10 months of extra time he had initially requested.
"I will come in court as soon as I am ready and I will inform you about it two weeks in advance," Karadzic said.
"What kind of trial is it going to be, if there is no proper defence," he further asked.
Presiding judge O-Gon Kwon noted the defendant "merely repeated the arguments" already made before the appeals chamber and insisted it was "the chamber, not the accused" who determined when a trial could begin.
The prosecution said that if Karadzic would still refuse to attend the proceedings, then the "circumstances of this trial demand the imposition of a counsel."
The second option prosecutor Hildegard Uertz-Retzlaff proposed was that the court would compel Karadzic to be present at his trial.
Last week, Kwon indicated that if Karadzic refused to attend Tuesday's hearing, the chamber might decide to continue proceedings in his absence or impose a lawyer on him for his defence.
Kwon also said the accused's right to be present at a trial is "not absolute", and that Karadzic's choice not to attend could be considered the voluntary waiving of this right.
In a letter sent to presiding judge Kwon on Sunday, Karadzic said he hoped "we will be able to find a solution which will lead not only to an expeditious trial, but a fair one."
