Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial plunged into fresh uncertainty today after two lawyers appointed to defend the former Yugoslav president against his will said they wanted to pull out of the case.
Lawyers Mr Steven Kay and Ms Gillian Higgins argue their efforts to defend Milosevic at The Hague tribunal have reached a dead end because Milosevic refused to co-operate with them after they were appointed by judges in September because of his ill health.
"I can confirm that the registry has received a request from Steven Kay and Gillian Higgins for their withdrawal from their role as assigned counsel in the Milosevic case," tribunal spokesman Mr Jim Landale said.
"Both counsel are still assigned to the case until there is a decision otherwise," Mr Landale said.
Milosevic - charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s - conducted his own defence for the first 30 months of his marathon trial, including the entire prosecution case.
But last month judges appointed the two British lawyers because of his heart condition and high blood pressure.
Milosevic, who had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf after he declined to plead to the charges, has refused to speak to the two lawyers or to ask witnesses follow-up questions after cross-examination by his appointed counsel.
Dozens of defence witnesses have said they would not testify unless the tribunal drops the court-imposed lawyers and allows the former Serb strongman to resume running his own case.
Trial watchers say the request presents judges with a fresh predicament about how to ensure progress and avoid delays in a trial widely regarded as Europe's biggest war crimes trial since top Nazis were tried at Nuremberg after World War Two.