Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) ruled on 16 July to postpone the opening of Slobodan Milosevic\'s trial to 31 August. A medical report submitted to the court concluded that the former Yugoslav president\'s blood pressure was too high for him to stand trial. Proceedings began before the international court in February 2002, where Milosevic, 62, is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. When the prosecution phase came to a close in February 2003, the judges ruled that the trial would resume on 8 June.
If the trial goes ahead on 31 August, Milosevic will have had six months in which to prepare his defence and will have 150 days to make his case. The judges still have to decide whether or not they will appoint a lawyer to defend Milosevic, who has always refused legal representation.