Charles Taylor's defense team eyes delay

THE HAGUE, Netherlands --Former Liberian President Charles Taylor's lawyers need more time to prepare his defense against charges he directed a campaign of murder, rape and enslavement in West Africa, his lawyer told a judge Friday. Judge Teresa Doherty made it clear, however, that Taylor's war crimes trial will begin June 4 as planned. It is expected to take a year to 18 months.

Taylor has pleaded innocent to charges linked to the killing and mistreatment of thousands of people during the 10-year civil war in Liberia's neighbor to the northwest, Sierra Leone. He faces a life sentence if convicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, sitting in the Netherlands.

The indictment "covers the gamut of the most horrendous things humans can do to one another," prosecutor Stephen Rapp told reporters after the hearing.

Taylor did not appear in the courtroom in The Hague because he is being treated for back problems, Rapp said.

Taylor's lawyer, Karim Khan, told the court the defense team would not be ready given the huge volume of prosecution evidence. He also protested the prosecution's refusal to permit him to distribute electronic copies of the evidence.

The charges against Taylor stem from his alleged arming and training of rebels in Sierra Leone during the later years of their insurgency, which began in 1991. Taylor's indictment covers crimes allegedly committed between November 1996 and January 2002.