Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who boycotted his war-crimes trial, will be assigned a lawyer to represent him, a United Nations court ruled.

“The overall interests of justice are best met by the appointment of counsel,” Presiding Judge O-Gon Kwon wrote in a ruling published today by the war-crimes court in The Hague. Kwon adjourned the trial until March 1, saying “counsel will require some time to become familiar with the case.”

Karadzic, 64, who is accused of genocide, has boycotted his trial from its start on Oct. 26. The ex-politician, who is defending himself, has said he needs 10 more months to prepare his case before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The former president of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb Republic is accused with military commander Ratko Mladic of responsibility for the mass murder of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys in the UN-protected Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995 and for killings during the 44-month siege of Sarajevo. Mladic, 67, remains at large.

Karadzic will still be allowed to defend himself, the court said. If he doesn’t attend the continuation of his trial in March, the appointed counsel will take over and represent him, according to the court.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jurjen van de Pol in Amsterdam jvandepol@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 5, 2009 10:20 EST