Serb nationalist ready to die if demands not met

Serbia:Vojislav Seselj, the Serb ultra-nationalist leader on trial in The Hague for war crimes, has vowed to starve himself to death unless the United Nations court accedes in writing to his demands.

Mr Seselj, who began a hunger strike on November 10th and is reported to be seriously ill, insists his court-appointed lawyer be dismissed and that he be allowed to defend himself. He also wants all legal documents to be translated into Serbian and to receive unrestricted visits from his wife.

Mr Seselj surrendered in 2003 to face charges of war crimes against non-Serbs in the 1990s. He denies the charges and often disrupts proceedings in court, denouncing it as a political tool of Washington and the European Union.

Serb, Russian and French doctors visited the once-burly Mr Seselj this week and said he was very unwell; he is reported to have lost about 20kg. The French physician said he could die within a fortnight.

"He is asking to have all his demands answered in written form, including the right to defend himself," said Tomislav Nikolic, who is acting as head of the Serbian Radical Party while Mr Seselj is on trial.

"Seselj is ready to give up his hunger strike and is impatient to start his defence" as soon as his conditions were met, said Mr Nikolic, who led last weekend's 30,000-strong rally in support of Mr Seselj outside the US embassy in Belgrade.

The UN court has condemned Mr Seselj's "manipulation" of the trial and ordered Dutch authorities to intervene with food and medication if his life is threatened. Mr Seselj says he is ready to die at The Hague like former Serb president Slobodan Milosevic, who died of a heart attack in March and was lionised by supporters in his homeland.

The fate of Mr Seselj could have major political implications for Serbia. Ahead of next month's general election, the Radicals are using what they call his unjust treatment to boost their already strong support among Serbs who feel bullied by the West.

Fearing electoral damage if Mr Seselj dies in UN hands, Serbia's government asked yesterday for his demands to be met. "Another tragic event at The Hague tribunal would be absolutely unacceptable," the government said.