MOSCOW - Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic still refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague despite participating in his trial, Milosevic's brother told the Interfax news agency on Saturday, AFP reported.

Borislav Milosevic, a former Yugoslav ambassador to Russia, and still resident in Moscow, denied media reports that Milosevic's robust self-defense during last week's hearings amounted to de facto recognition of the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

"Slobodan Milosevic is in fighting mood. He is continuing the struggle despite all attempts to break him morally," said Borislav Milosevic, who spoke to his brother by telephone on Friday.

Earlier Western media reports had quoted ICTY spokeswoman Florence Hartmann as saying that the former Yugoslav leader's participation had effectively resolved the question of his not recognizing the tribunal.

But the former Belgrade strongman's speeches in court "mean only that my brother is using his legal right to inform the world public about his position, without recognizing the legitimacy of the trial," Borislav Milosevic told Interfax.

"As the proceedings in The Hague go on, respect for Slobodan Milosevic is growing in Yugoslavia, as the people can see that he is defending not only himself, but also the nation and the army, and he is doing this honestly, courageously, patriotically and skilfully," his brother said.

Once considered the master of Balkan politics, Slobodan Milosevic has been indicted for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide relating to the actions of Yugoslav armed forces in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, and Kosovo, Serbia's southern province.