Bosnian Serb PM Meets Trump's 'Alt-Right' Former Strategist

Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump's former chief strategist who now says he wants to help right-wing populists come to power in Europe, hosted the nationalist prime minister of Bosnia's mainly Serb entity at his Washington home on Sunday, the Republika Srpska government said in a statement.

The government said Bannon and Zeljka Cvijanovic discussed relations between the United States and Republika Srpska, one of two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Fired from the White House last year, the architect of Trump's populist campaign for president has turned his attentions to Europe with the creation of a Brussels-based foundation called The Movement to aid right-wing populists. His first target is the European Parliament election in May 2019.

The Bosnian Serb leadership has made a point of courting right-wing populists; President Milorad Dodik, a party ally of Cvijanovic, has met on several occasions with members of Marine Le Pen's National Rally and with the leader of the Austrian far-right Freedom Party, Heinz Christian Strache, who has backed Dodik's aim of independence for Republika Srpska.

Dodik, who counts Russia as his chief big-power ally, has long been at odds with the US and the European Union, which accuse him of trying to break apart Bosnia.

News of the meeting caused a stir in Bosnian media, which faces an election in October; those close to the Republika Srpska government stressed Bannon's role in getting Trump elected, while others warned it was the harbinger of a ruthless campaign.

Speaking to the Republika Srpska public broadcaster, RTRS, after meeting Cvijanovic, Bannon said The Movement was designed to be a "counterweight" to liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros,...