"WE'LL deal with the Muslims by sending them out in plastic bags," declared Vojislav Seselj. Even though the sky was grey, he wore dark glasses and a smart blue suit to a weekend rally in Srbac, northern Bosnia.
Mr Seselj knows about Muslims in plastic bags; his men were responsible for some of the worst atrocities in Muslim and Croat areas. Now his Serb Radical Party, which is to the right of Dr Radovan Karadzic, is expected to win representation on the 15 member parliament of Republika Srpska.
Four hundred Serbs stood in the street on a cold rainy day to hear him. Most had drawn, expressionless faces after four years of conflict. Though Srbac was physically untouched by the war, many of the town's men fought elsewhere and some did not come back.
The Radical Party did its best to rouse the audience. Recently written Serb folk songs blared from the speakers before Mr Seselj arrived. "These are nationalist songs," explained the translator when asked what the words were. "Do they say things like `I love my country'?" I asked. "Stronger than that," he said.
Like killing all Croats and Muslims?
"Yes, some of the songs say that kind of thing."
After explaining what he would do with Muslims, Mr Seselj had a long litany of traitors to denounce - most of all, the President of Serbia, Mr Slobodan Milosevic.
"Milosevic gave us money and munitions and volunteers from Serbia and Montenegro and told us to fight for greater Serbia. Then he abandoned us. He made a deal with the Americans because he thought this would save him.
"He sold out Serb Krajina [a historic Serb region now part of the Croatian state] and the refugees who fled are living in schools in Serbia. He sacrificed one third of Republika Srpska in the greatest betrayal since Kosovo.
"While you were bleeding and dying with pay of 60 dinars (£8) a month and sharing food within each other, the generals were living in the best apartments in Banja Luka while their families were safe in Serbia. Good decent men fought the war here while the communist generals ruined everything, sold them out, took the money and escaped.
Mr Milosevic sold them out at Dayton, Ohio, Mr Seselj declared. "We lost nothing on the battlefield; we lost everything at the negotiating table."
He reserved particular contempt for Arkan, the leader of one of the most notorious Serb militias responsible for the "ethnic cleansing" of many Muslim and Croat areas. Arkan, he said, was nothing but a criminal. He is also a major rival for the extreme nationalist Serb vote.
"He is an international gangster. He stole everything. Arkan has put a sock on his head more often in the past few years than I put socks on my feet."
The latest humiliation of the Serb people, according to Mr Seselj, was at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. "The Serb Radical Party will not allow any Serb to be given over to The Hague. If anyone is to accuse any Serb of anything they will do it here".
The fiery rhetoric received restrained applause. Mr Seselj left the platform and walked down the main street, shaking hands and accepting the deferential bows of the more enthusiastic. The speakers blared out the rousing anthem: "Get ready for the fight. Chetniks, throw your bombs."
Mr Seselj was driven off and the people went home.
