The chief U.N. prosecutor for the former Yugoslavia said Tuesday that evidence errors that postponed the trial of Ratko Mladic are of "limited" impact and do not warrant a delay of six months as sought by the defense.

Serge Brammertz said during a visit to Serbia that the prosecution believes the long-awaited proceedings against the former Bosnian Serb army commander accused of genocide could start within weeks.

"We have not opposed the request of the defense to delay for some time ... but we are more thinking about weeks and not months," Brammertz said. "We think that the impact for the defense to present its case ... is very limited."

A judge at the U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, earlier this month postponed Mladic's trial citing "significant disclosure errors" by prosecutors, who are obliged to share all evidence with the defense.

Mladic is accused of commanding Bosnian Serb troops who waged a campaign of killings and persecution to drive Muslims and Croats out of Serb-held territory during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.