Milosevic to represent himself at war crimes hearing
The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal is to appoint a lawyer to assist Slobodan Milosevic.
The move in the Hague comes after the former Yugoslav president insisted he would represent himself against charges of crimes against humanity in Kosovo.
Judge Richard May says the appointed lawyer will not represent Milosevic, but will "assist the court" by ensuring he gets a fair trial.
Milosevic advised the court last Friday that he continued to refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the court and would not appoint an attorney to represent him.
The tasks of the appointed lawyer would be to help prepare pretrial motions, to cross-examine witnesses during the trial and to make objections on his behalf, Mr May said.
Milosevic has refused to cooperate with the panel since he was extradited to the Hague on June 28.
The latest hearing is a routine meeting called a status conference, part of every case to come before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. They are usually brief sessions to discuss scheduling and evaluate progress.
Although volunteer lawyers are advising and consulting him, Milosevic has not changed his mind and will appear in the courtroom alone, said one of his Belgrade advisers, Dragoslav Ognjanovic. A team of lawyers will watch from the public gallery, he said.
"He's in a good mood, peacefully thinking about his future," Mr Ognjanovic said.
In the former Yugoslavia this week, forensic investigators continued to exhume bodies from mass graves, evidence they say will help convict Milosevic of crimes against humanity. Investigators revealed at least four common burial sites across Serbia.
