The Hague - The war crimes trial of Serb General Momcilo Perisic has been postponed, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) said Wednesday, shortly before proceedings were due to begin.

Now new date has been set.

The former chief of staff of the Yugoslav army is charged with crimes committed during the Balkans war in the 1990s, including the shelling of Zagreb, the massacre in Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo.

Perisic was first indicted in February 2005. After his transfer to ICTY custody in March 2005, he was granted provisional release in June of that year and returned to ICTY custody on September 18. (dpa)