Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

The United Nation's Yugoslav war crimes court has appointed a lawyer to represent former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic whenever he fails to appear in court.

It also adjourned his trial to 1 March next year at The Hague to give his counsel time to prepare, the BBC reports.

Dr Karadzic - who has been representing himself - appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday after boycotting the start of the trial last week.

The charges against Dr Karadzic relate to the 1992 to 1995 Bosnian war and include the siege of Sarajevo, during which an estimated 10,000 people died.

He insists he is innocent of all 11 war crimes charges, but has refused to enter pleas.

Dr Karadzic, 64, has seven days to apply for permission to lodge an appeal.

At Tuesday's hearing, he argued that he had insufficient time to prepare his defence and sought a 10-month adjournment.

But presiding Judge O-Gon Kwon dismissed the claim, saying the court had already determined the defendant had had ample time to prepare.

Dr Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade in 2008, after nearly 13 years on the run and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.