The Hague war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, accused of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, could begin in late March 2012, the presiding judge in the case, Alphons Orie, said at a status conference on Thursday.
The last pre-trial hearing would be held on March 26 and the prosecution and the defence would begin giving their opening statements the next day, Orie said, while Mladic's attorneys immediately said they would not be ready until then.
"Our team can't finish the job," said counsel Branko Lukic. The judge said the dates were not set in stone but nonetheless urged the parties to prepare for those dates.
Addressing the judge, Mladic said: "Perhaps you are in a hurry. I am not. Time means nothing to me."
He complained that his defence team was not complete yet, that he was not allowed to be visited by friends, admirers, or physicians, and that he lost more than 20 kilos in the six months of detention at the UN court.
Judge Orie said the medical report he received earlier this month showed that Mladic was sufficiently well to participate in the proceedings.
Mladic said he was sorry for the common people who had suffered in every nation on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
"I'm sorry for every victim on every side," he said, adding that he would ask to be given the identity of every victim for which he was charged and information on whether they had taken part in the war.
"I'm asking for this to pay my respects to all those innocents who gave their lives on all four corners of the world," Mladic said, adding that he had not committed any crime against peace.
He concluded by saying he would like the word "war" to disappear.
Mladic was accused of genocide in Srebrenica, years of terrorising the residents of Sarajevo, persecutions throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and taking UN staff hostage.
He was arrested in May after 16 years on the run, during which time he suffered a stroke that has visibly affected his condition.
