Bosnian Serb Chief Names Moderate as New Premier

BIJELJINA, Bosnia — Western-backed Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic named a moderate as prime minister-designate on Saturday over the protests of her hard-line nationalist opponents.

Resuming her bid to forge a government of national unity, Plavsic nominated the leader of the Independent Social Democrats, Milorad Dodik, after her previous nominee failed to win support for a proposed Cabinet.

Dodik, 47, is a rare moderate in Bosnian Serb territory where ultranationalist rhetoric prevails. If he succeeds in forming a government, Dodik would become the first politician in peacetime without links to the main nationalist parties.

A businessman who openly supports the return of Muslim and Croat refugees, Dodik has used blunt language to criticize the hard-liners who ruled Serb-held territory throughout the 3 1/2-year Bosnian war that started in 1992.