Defense lawyers for former Liberian President Charles Taylor are opposing a request by prosecutors to call model Naomi Campbell as a witness at his war crimes trial.
Taylor's defense lawyers say the bid to get the model to testify is nothing more than a publicity stunt.
Prosecutors asked the court to subpoena Campbell earlier this month. They say Taylor gave a large, rough-cut diamond to Campbell after a 1997 dinner in South Africa.
Taylor is accused of arming rebels during Sierra Leone's civil war in exchange for so-called "blood diamonds," the name given to gems mined and sold to finance war.
The supermodel has denied receiving a diamond from Taylor, and Taylor also has denied the prosecutors' claims.
The former Liberian leader is facing a total of 11 charges, including murder, rape, sexual slavery and conscription of child soldiers, stemming from Sierra Leone's civil war from 1991-2002. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
