Serbian war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic will not respond to charges on the first day of his trial before the UN Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. In an interview with the Serbian newspaper Press, Mladic's lawyer said he will request a 30-day adjournment in order to prepare his defence.

Media in Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, report that the republic has given Mr Mladic 50,000 euros to help him pay his lawyers. The government of Serbia was not prepared to pay for his defence.

The 69-year-old former general is accused of genocide and other crimes during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia between 1992 and 1995.

(imm/kh)

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