Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadizic is to make another attempt to challenge the nomination of a court-appointed lawyer at his genocide and war crimes trial, a legal adviser said Thursday.

"On Friday, Dr Karadzic will file a motion challenging the appointment of Richard Harvey as counsel in his case and asking that the appointment be vacated," the adviser, Peter Robinson, told AFP in an email.
He added that, at Karadzic's request, he would meet the news media on Friday outside the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague "to speak about these issues and answer any of your questions."

Ten days ago, the UN tribunal denied Karadzic leave to appeal the nomination of the London-based lawyer, saying that to do so "would hinder, rather than materially advance the proceedings".

Karadzic, 64, is charged with 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1992-95 Bosnian war in which around 100,000 people died and 2.2 million were forced to flee their homes.

Arrested on a Belgrade bus in July last year after 13 years on the run, he risks life imprisonment if convicted of crimes that include the Srebrenica massacre of over 7,000 Muslims and the 44-month siege of Sarajevo.

Karadzic boycotted the first three days of his trial that opened on October 26, demanding more time to prepare his defence, which he is conducting himself.

That forced the adjournment of proceedings, and led the judges to rule on November 5 that Harvey be assigned to Karadzic to take over if he continues his boycott.

They also ruled that the trial resume on March 1, to give Harvey enough time to prepare.

In a legal career dating back to 1971, Harvey has dealt with a number of domestic and international criminal and human rights cases -- including two before the ICTY in which he defended Kosovo Albanians accused of war crimes, according to a biography on the website of his practice Garden Court Chambers.