Q&A: What happens to Milosevic now?

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (CNN) -- CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour is at the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.

Q. What happens to Milosevic now?

A. Milosevic has been taken back to his jail cell. The court reconvenes on August 27, but a trial is still some time away. The prosecution has always said it will take many months, that it is a long and complex case. People here are saying that in the best case scenario, a trial may not start until next year.

Q. What charges does he face?

AUDIO CNN's Christiane Amanpour: This is an extraordinary moment for the tribunal 2.45 MB / 200 sec AIFF or WAV sound

A. The charges that he faces stem solely from his command responsibility for crimes committed in Kosovo. He is alleged to have been in charge, and along with four other senior Serbian and Yugoslav officials, to have committed crimes against humanity and to have violated the laws and customs of war.

We have seen over the last several weeks and months, officials in Yugoslavia have started to uncover grisly crimes that they are linking to Milosevic, crimes including perhaps the cover-up of the killing of civilians in Kosovo.

MORE STORIES World welcomes Milosevic handover

The chief prosecutor here says she is also considering expanding the charges in the Kosovo indictment to include genocide, which is the most serious crime under international law, and perhaps bringing further indictments for Milosevic's alleged responsibility during the wars of Croatia and Bosnia.

Q. What kind of preparations did The Hague made for his arrival?

A. The court room here was previously a business building, but it has been converted into a criminal court room, a criminal tribunal -- it's technologically very sophisticated. There are all sorts of media abilities - they can transmit the trial.

Furthermore, the jail cells have been made ready for these particular indictees -- there are some 38 in custody right now. They have their own rooms for the most part. They are set up with the minimum of comfort, but that which is the norm for prisoners under these conditions. They are allowed certain recreational communal periods, certain sports and exercise facilities and access to their lawyers.

Q. What about Milosevic's defence in court?

A. Milosevic does have lawyers at the Hague, although he did not take them into court. Therefore they are not officially his defence lawyers, they call themselves assistants. They are part of his legal defence team in Belgrade, where he is accused of abuse of power and other crimes in Yugoslavia.

These lawyers will visit Milosevic, and the prosecution here is hoping that he will reconsider his decision to represent himself, and decide instead to appoint a defence counsel. If he wants to challenge the jurisdiction of this court he has to remain engaged in the process. He cannot do it by remaining silent.

Q. Are there concerns about Milosevic's safety there?

A. Very few details are being given out by officials here - they cite security reasons, but they are conscious of security - not just for Milosevic but for may of the people who have come here - may of them have been high profile. In the last few months there have been very high-level former officials of the Bosnian-Serb republic and others who have come here. In general they are saying there will be no special procedures or special concessions for Milosevic, but they are mindful that he does carry a certain security risk and has a higher profile than others here.

Q. What sort of precedent does the handover of Milosevic set for leaders who commit crimes against humanity?

A. The precedent has already been set in terms of the indictment and the establishment of this court -- it's the first one established since Nurenburg after World War II and it has had certain reverberations -- the most obvious and public case was the attempt to put the former president of Chile on trial, Augusto Pinochet. That didn't happen in this kind of court. But this has been increasingly used as a precedent.