The presiding judge in Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial has resigned for health reasons just days before the prosecution begins wrapping up its case, the court says.
Asked what implication this would have on the former Yugoslav president's trial, a spokesman for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said: "We will just have to wait and see."
The ICTY said in a statement Judge Richard May's resignation would be effective from May 31st and it was confident UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan would soon appoint a successor to May.
Proceedings against Milosevic on charges he committed crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo in the 1990s began two years ago.
The former Yugoslav and Serb president is conducting his own defence.
Judge May, a Briton in his sixties, has become well known during the hearing for forcing Milosevic to stick to trial procedures and has regularly admonished him for making political speeches in court.
The prosecution's case against Milosevic was due to end last week but was postponed because he was ill.
The trial is regarded as Europe's most significant war crimes trial since leading Nazis were tried at Nuremberg after World War II.
It has regularly been disrupted by Milosevic's ill health. He has suffered from bouts of high blood pressure, flu and exhaustion.