UN war crimes tribunal chief prosecutor Ms Carla Del Ponte said today she opposed a plea for the temporary release of the court's most important prisoner, ailing former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
"We oppose that position...because there is really no need for Milosevic to be provisionally released," Ms Del Ponte told reporters during a visit to Belgrade.
"It is not under the law. He must stay in detention and he can have the necessary care he needs in detention. We must go on with the trial," she said.
Two international lawyers appointed by the tribunal to ensure Mr Milosevic receives a fair trial have asked the court to release him for one year so his health can recover, a Danish newspaper said.
Exhaustion, high blood pressure and bouts of flu have dogged Milosevic since proceedings began last February, forcing the postponement of the war crimes trial on a number of occasions and prompting a judges' order for medical tests this month.
The Danish daily, Dagentoday repeated earlier reports that the idea of a temporary release had been proposed. Lawyers Mr Steven Kay of Britain and Mr Branislav Tapuskovic of Serbia recommended it in a confidential document submitted to the tribunal's judges.
Mr Kay and Mr Tapuskovic were appointed by the tribunal last year as so-called "amici curiae", or friends of the court. Mr Milosevic is defending himself against charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in the Balkans in the 1990s.