The trial of the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic resumed at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague today after a two-week delay due to his poor health.
Mr Milosevic briefly responded to allegations by Serbia's deputy prime minister yesterday linking him and his wife, Mirjana Markovic, to the murder of former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic.
Mr Stambolic, a political opponent of the former Yugoslav leader, disappeared months before Mr Milosevic was deposed in October 2000.
Serbian police discovered his body during a crackdown on theparamilitary and underworld network accused of the recent killing of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.
Mr Milosevic dismissed the allegations as a false media campaign, saying authorities in Belgrade were conspiring with UN prosecutors to damage his family and prejudice his case.
On Saturday, Serbia's interior minister said there are "credible suspicions" that Ms Markovic was involved in Mr Stambolic's murder. Authorities have threatened to issue an international arrest warrant unless she returns immediately from Russia to talk to them.
Mr Milosevic said Belgrade authorities were unjustly going after her and should instead come to The Netherlands to question him.
Hearings in the trial were cancelled on March 18th after doctors in the UN detention unit said Mr Milosevic was suffering from a recurrence of high blood pressure and recommended a few days rest.
Mr Milosevic (61), is defending himself against 66 counts of war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo during the 1990s, including genocide.
He has refused legal aid in court and the trial has taken a physical toll. His weak condition has led to the cancellation of a fifth of all court sessions. Prosecutors are seeking another year to present their case.
AP