BELGRADE -- UN War Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte said on Wednesday she opposed a plea for the temporary release of the court's most important prisoner, ailing former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

"We oppose that position ... because there is really no need for Milosevic to be provisionally released," Del Ponte told reporters during a visit to Belgrade, Reuters reported.

"It is not under the law. He must stay in detention and he can have the necessary care he needs in detention.

We must go on with the trial," she said.

Two international lawyers appointed by the tribunal to ensure Milosevic receives a fair trial have asked the court to release him for one year so his health can recover, a Danish newspaper said.

Exhaustion, high blood pressure and bouts of flu have dogged Milosevic since proceedings began last February, forcing the postponement of the war crimes trial on a number of occasions and prompting a judges' order for medical tests this month.