Karadzic 'Advised' by Unseen Presence at the Hague

The Hague, Netherlands — Radovan Karadzic used his first appearance before an international war crimes court yesterday to accuse America of trying to assassinate him and to joke that he was taking legal advice from an unseen presence.

Appearing tired and gaunt, the former Bosnian Serb leader was charged by the United Nations with 11 counts of war crimes including genocide.

Initially calm and grave, Mr. Karadzic's composure appeared to crack after the Dutch judge presiding over the court, Alphons Orie, refused to allow him to read out a four-page document protesting at his arrest.

"There were numerous irregularities concerning my relation to this institution and my appearance here," he said.

The 63-year-old former psychiatrist and faith healer went on to claim that the former secretary of state, Richard Holbrooke, had granted him immunity as part of a wider Bosnia peace deal agreed in 1995.

"My commitment was to withdraw even from literary life and all sorts of public life," he said.

Mr. Karadzic then became animated and was repeatedly interrupted by the judge as he accused Mr. Holbrooke and others of trying to "liquidate" him.

"It is a matter of life and death. If Mr. Holbrooke still wants my death and regrets that there is no death sentence here, I wonder if his arm is long enough to reach here," he said.

Mr. Karadzic's comments appeared to be a reference to an interview last weekend when Mr. Holbrooke told Dnevni Avaz, a Sarajevo newspaper, that the former Bosnian Serb leader "deserved the death penalty."

Mr. Karadzic, who has shaved off the beard, the long hair, and faith healer persona that hid his identity during more than a decade on the run, began by quietly answering "Da" to questions concerning his knowledge of his legal rights and his decision to conduct his own defense.

"I have an invisible adviser but I have decided to represent myself," he joked. Stony faced and with the occasional sneer, he did not comment as the judge read out a list of atrocities contained in a 25-page indictment.

He then broke his silence to accuse the U.N. prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, of trying to rush the case by pushing for his speedy conviction before the mandate of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia expires in 2011.