Slobodan Milosevic insisted today he needed to be set free for at least two years to prepare a defense in his war crimes trial, but judges said that was unthinkable.
"I will need the conditions necessary for me to prepare my trial while at liberty," the ex-Yugoslav president told the Hague tribunal at a special hearing on his defense against charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.
"Even the barest minimum of time I would need would be in excess of two years," Milosevic said. "I need that time for preparation."
Prosecutors in the marathon trial, which began in February 2002 after Milosevic's transfer to The Hague in 2001, are due to wrap up their case by the end of the year.
Milosevic insists he does not recognize the United Nations court and that he will defend himself, despite judges' entreaties that he appoint counsel.
Presiding judge Mr Richard May said the trial could not possibly be interrupted for two years and the accused would not be released.
Noting that the court had previously denied a request by Milosevic for provisional release, Mr May said: "We have ruled that the accused cannot be released provisionally and there is no reason to change that ruling now."
Responding to Milosevic's call for two years to prepare, Mr May said: "There can be no question during a trial of a break of two years."
Milosevic said at the start of his trial last year that he intended to call high-profile witnesses including former US President Bill Clinton, ex-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. It has been rumoured he may even attempt to have British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair forced to appear.
The Clinton administration sponsored and hosted negotiations which led to the Dayton peace accord ending the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. Milosevic was Serbian president at the time and signed the agreement on behalf of Bosnia's Serbs.
Milosevic could call a whole range of figures from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and elsewhere, who dealt with him in one way or another, if the court agrees that their testimony is relevant to the case.