Former leader Radovan Karadzic has said the Serb cause in the Bosnian war was "just and holy" as he began his defence at his genocide trial at The Hague, BBC reported.

Karadzic, who led the Bosnian Serbs during the war in the 1990s, said there was a core group of Muslims in Bosnia - then and now - who wanted 100% power.

Speaking in the Hague, he insisted the Serbs were only acting in self-defense.

He insists he is innocent of all 11 charges from the 1992-95 Bosnian war, including genocide and war crimes.

The trial had been adjourned since November and the judge rejected a new request for a further postponement.

Karadzic suspended his boycott and appeared in court along with his lawyer on Monday as the trial resumed.

"I will defend that nation of ours and their cause that is just and holy," Mr Karadzic said in translated comments at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

He is expected to present a two-day opening statement before prosecutors present their first witness on Wednesday.