Prosecutor won't appeal Mladic trial decision

Serge Brammertz said his staff is looking at how to streamline the trial after judges last week refused his request to split Mladic's indictment in two.

Brammertz had asked to try Mladic first for his alleged involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and later for other Serb atrocities committed throughout the 1992-95 Bosnian War.

Brammertz had argued that splitting the trial was necessary in part because of fears the frail 69-year-old general's health could further deteriorate during a lengthy trial. The trial is expected to start next year, but Brammertz could not say exactly when.

The court faced criticism in 2006 for the pace at which it delivers justice when former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic died in his cell of a heart attack, ending his four-year trial without a verdict.

The decision not to split Mladic's case came as the former general, who was arrested in May after 16 years on the run, was receiving treatment for pneumonia. His lawyer and family also say he suffered two strokes in his years as one of Europe's most-wanted fugitives.

Brammertz told Dutch-based foreign correspondents that cutting down the sprawling indictment is a delicate balancing act between attempting to ensure the trial is completed in a reasonable time while at the same time reflecting the magnitude of the alleged crimes.