MOSCOW, Nov 11 (AFP) - Slobodan Milosevic has only months to live and can only be saved if he is urgently sent to hospital for heart treatment, the former Yugoslav president's brother said Monday.
Borislav Milosevic, the former Yugoslav ambassador to Moscow, said he spoke by telephone last week with his brother, on trial for war crimes in The Hague, and is worried about his survival.
"He is on the verge of having a heart attack," Borislav told AFP by telephone. "He constantly suffers from high blood pressure. If he is not treated, a fatal result is inevitable."
He added that his brother should be treated for a short time in Belgrade, and that the trial in The Hague could resume once Milosevic was again in stable health. "After he is cured, this process can resume."
Judges trying Milosevic, 61, have voiced concern that the trial might not be completed, after the former Yugoslav president's poor health again forced a delay in the proceedings.
His trial has been interrupted four times since it began in February because of ill health.
Doctors who carried out a full medical check-up in July confirmed he had high blood pressure and ran the risk of a heart attack.
The court tried to reduce the workload on Milosevic after the last health warning but even with the time limits imposed on it the case will take years to complete.
The prosecution has until May 2003 to present its case. Milosevic will have until at least mid-2004 for his defense, which he is conducting himself.