Karadzic rolls out delaying tactics

By Chris Mason BBC News, The Hague

Radovan Karadzic says his Tribunal at The Hague is really a NATO court

But already we are getting a sense of his courtroom style - and I don't just mean his radically re-altered appearance.

The large glasses and huge mane of white hair he sported while masquerading as a new age guru have gone.

In their place was a modest, understated dark suit, light shirt and red patterned tie.

What is more telling though, is his style when addressing the court.

Almost every contribution appears to be an attempt to belittle the entire institution by mocking it with gentle humour.

'False identity'

Sitting in the dock, with a security guard for company, Mr Karadzic returned to a favourite theme - the legitimacy, or otherwise, of the court.

For several seconds he ignored a request to stand up - long enough for people to wonder if he would refuse to co-operate with the court at all.

When he did get to his feet, it was to insist that this was not a United Nations institution at all, but one run by Nato - which launched air strikes on Serbia during the Balkan war.

"It is really the court of the Nato alliance," he told the judge, pausing theatrically. "I have stopped using a false identity and it is time for all of us to stop presenting ourselves falsely".

The judge, Scottish lawyer Iain Bonomy, was not amused.

Playing for time

The purpose of this hearing was to allow Radovan Karadzic to enter his pleas, guilty or not guilty, on 11 counts of the worst crimes in international law - genocide and crimes against humanity amongst them .

On all 11 counts, he refused to say anything.

Judge Bonomy was unimpressed by quips from Radovan Karadzic

And here we saw plentiful evidence of what is likely to be the defendant's other key tactic here - playing for time.

Radovan Karadzic seems determined to use those legal weapons available to him to maximum effect.

The most important of these is the one deployed here so effectively by his mentor, the former Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic.

Mr Milosevic managed to grind proceedings if not a halt, then to a pace that was achingly slow.

The result was that Mr Milosevic was on trial for so long he died before a verdict was reached, leaving the Tribunal bruised and embarrassed.

Radovan Karadzic appears just as determined to gum the whole process up as much as possible too - and do it with a smirk on his face.

Legal knockabout

As the judge spelt out that, if the former Bosnian-Serb leader refused to plead, the court would enter not guilty pleas on his behalf, Mr Karadzic spotted another chance to tease.

"Can I hold you to your word?" he asked Judge Bonomy.

THE INDICTMENT Eleven counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities Charged over shelling Sarajevo during the city's siege, in which some 12,000 civilians died Allegedly organised the massacre of up to 8,000 Bosniak men and youths in Srebrenica Targeted Bosniak and Croat political leaders, intellectuals and professionals Unlawfully deported and transferred civilians because of national or religious identity Destroyed homes, businesses and sacred sites In pictures: Karadzic in court Civil start to Karadzic legal battle

"Which word?" came the bemused response.

"That I am not guilty," quipped Mr Karadzic, unable to disguise a smile.

"We will see," came the stern reply.

And this is all merely the warm-up - the legal knockabout before the trial itself can begin.

This, quite clearly, is not something that has escaped the judge - who is furious that despite Radovan Karadzic having been on the run for 13 years, the tribunal's bureaucracy has not properly updated the indictment against him until now.

One lawyer has suggested in private it could even be September 2009 before the trial can start.

Plenty more occasions, then, for this alleged war criminal to demonstrate his guile.

Mr Karadzic is verbally nimble, mentally sharp - and no doubt infuriating to many.

Not least to the president of the Mothers of Srebrenica group, which represents survivors of the massacre of 8,000 men and boys that Mr Karadzic is accused of being responsible for.

"We came to see the biggest butcher of the 20th Century in the Balkans," Munira Subasic said.

She is desperate to see justice done, as is the court.

But it is not likely to come quickly.

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