Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has opened his much-delayed defence at his trial at The Hague. He said accusations that he masterminded the 1990s Balkans wars were "unscrupulous lies". Milosevic faces charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his alleged role in the conflicts in which tens of thousands were killed. Milosevic's defence is likely to be politically charged, attempting to place his accusers in the dock for what he sees as unjustified attacks on Serbia and the Serbian people in the former Yugoslavia, says the BBC's Geraldine Coughlan in The Hague. Indeed, in the first part of his defence argument, he blamed the international community for being "the main force for the destruction of Yugoslavia" in the Balkans wars. "A multicultural, multi-confessional and multi-ethnic state was destroyed ... this constitutes the gravest international crime," he said. "Hundreds of thousands of people were wounded and maimed. Thousands of people fled their homes, mostly Serbs." He blamed "the Nato pact" for the conflict in Kosovo, where the prosecution says Milosevic was individually responsible for "the campaign of terror and violence directed at Kosovo Albanian civilians". Milosevic compared events in Croatia at the start of the Balkan wars in 1991 to the "genocide of Serbs by Croatian fascists in 1941". He said tens of thousands of Serbs were killed or driven from their homes in Croatia before the Yugoslav army responded. "This is a classical example of an armed rebellion against a state," he said. "A state has the right to use all means necessary to control the rebellion." **'Distorted picture'*** Milosevic, sporting a blue suit and tie the colours of the Yugoslav flag, initially complained he had been given only four hours for his initial speech, while prosecutors were given three days to outline their case when the trial began in February 2002. Then he launched into his opening statement: "In the international public for a long time an untruthful and distorted picture was created about what happened in Yugoslavia... "The accusations against me are unscrupulous lies and also a treacherous distortion of history. "Everything has been presented in a lopsided manner in order to protect those who are truly responsible." He once again criticised the legality of the tribunal and of his trial. The trial is seen as a test of the International War Crimes Tribunal, and as one of the most important war crimes trials since the Nuremberg trials that followed World War II, correspondents say. Judges are keen for the trial to be completed by October 2005. **Imposed lawyer?*** The repeated delays caused by Milosevic's ill health have prompted some to call for him to be forced to accept a defence lawyer - something he strongly rejects. He has suffered from high blood pressure, flu and heart problems since the trial opened. After his speech, the trial judges will be faced with deciding whether to impose a lawyer on him. But the amici curiae - so-called friends of the court appointed to ensure Milosevic gets a fair trial - have argued against the imposition. They say it could increase his stress, deny him his right to represent himself and constitute significant grounds for appeal. Some observers expect the judges may agree to a type of compromise, in which Milosevic could agree to assistance from a lawyer of his choice. Milosevic says he wants to call more than 1,600 witnesses in the 150 days allotted to his defence - including former US President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. However, it is unlikely they will appear, say correspondents. The first witnesses are not expected to be heard till next week. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Slobodan Milosevic pictured here during an early court appearance. (AFP)