Karadzic outlines case on second day of trial in the Hague

AFP - Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic on Tuesday resumed outlining his defence in The Hague to charges that he oversaw a campaign of murder of Muslims and Croats during the war.
   
Karadzic is conducting his own defence in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to 11 charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
   
Suspended for four months last October as Karadzic boycotted the opening of his trial, the hearings resumed Monday.
   
He told the court Monday that Bosnia's Serbs were merely defending themselves against Muslim aggression, arguing that their cause was "just and holy."
   
The 64-year-old stands charged as the "supreme commander" of an campaign targeting Croats and Muslims in the 1992-95 war that claimed 100,000 lives and displaced 2.2 million people.
   
Arrested on a Belgrade bus in July 2008 after 13 years on the run, Karadzic has pleaded not guilty. He risks life imprisonment.
   
His opening statement is set to be followed Wednesday with the testimony of the first prosecution witness.
   
The former president of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb state, Republika Srpska, has sought another delay of his trial until June 17, claiming he needs more time to prepare his case and threatening to resume his boycott if it is not granted.