Bosnians mix peace messages in polls

Mixed messages have been coming from the weekend's elections in Bosnia-Hercegovina -- the third such polls since peace was restored in 1995.

A multi-ethnic party, the Social Democrats, appears to be doing well in the Muslim and Croat part of Bosnia -- the Muslim Croat Federation. But in the other entity, the Bosnian Serb Republic, nationalists formerly led by the indicted war criminal, Radovan Karadzic, appear to be staging a revival.

With results still coming in, the nationalist SDS -- or Serb Democratic Party -- has declared victory in presidential elections.

It is well ahead of the moderate presidential candidate, the Western-backed Bosnian Serb prime minister, Milorad Dodik.

The SDS says it's no longer connected with Mr Karadzic, and is promising reforms and ethnic reconciliation. It has disputed recent Western allegations that it's harbouring a number of indicted war criminals.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service