The first court appearance by a former Yugoslav army officer charged with war crimes for the 1991 shelling of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik was postponed today because he is ill, the Hague tribunal said.
Vladimir Kovacevic, nicknamed "Rambo", was arrested by Serb police late last month and transferred to The Hague last Thursday. He was the last suspect on the Dubrovnik indictment still at large.
His court debut had been scheduled for this morning.
"He's not well. The initial appearance has been postponed due to ill-health," said a tribunal spokesman. It was not known when the hearing would be held, he added.
Kovacevic, 42, is charged with six war crimes counts including murder, cruel treatment and destruction or wilful damage to historic monuments.
The court indicted him, along with three other officers, for the civilian deaths during the former-Yugoslav army campaign to bring the mediaeval-walled city under Serb control after Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia.
Retired Yugoslav vice-admiral Miodrag Jokic, accused with Kovacevic, pleaded guilty in August to murder, cruel treatment, attacks on civilians and destruction of historic buildings during shelling of the picturesque heart of Dubrovnik.