Yugoslavia's pro-democracy leaders yesterday drafted a government decree which would enable Mr Slobodan Milosevic's extradition to the UN war crimes tribunal.
The move came after they abandoned an attempt to win passage of a law on the former ruler's surrender through parliament. Yugoslavia's Interior Minister, Mr Zoran Zivkovic, said the decree, once adopted by the federal cabinet, would "automatically become a legal measure that would enable all forms of co-operation with the UN war crimes court".
The Yugoslav state Tanjug news agency reported that a cabinet session on co-operation with The Hague tribunal was to take place this morning.
The drafting of the decree came after pro-democracy officials from Serbia failed to strike a deal with MPs from the smaller republic of Montenegro to support the bill on Mr Milosevic's extradition in the Yugoslav parliament. Unable to convince the Montenegrins, Serbian officials withdrew the bill from consideration in parliament.
As a solution to the deadlock, Mr Zivkovic said pro-democracy officials turned the measure into a draft decree to be submitted to the federal cabinet where Serb officials have a majority.
A decision on extraditing Mr Milosevic has become increasingly urgent ahead of a key donors conference on June 29th in Brussels, Belgium. Yugoslav leaders pushed all week for the extradition bill.
The West, and especially the US and Britain, insist that Mr Milosevic face justice at The Hague tribunal or Yugoslavia risks losing billions of dollars in desperately needed financial assistance.
MPs from Montenegro adamantly resist extradition of any Yugoslav citizen to The Hague tribunal which they consider biased.
"Co-operation with The Hague tribunal is our international obligation and we are going ahead with it, regardless of the donors' conference," Mr Zivkovic said.
He denied that Mr Milosevic had become a bargaining chip for the aid.
Mr Predrag Bulatovic, head of the Montenegrin camp in the federal government, suggested that a decree on co-operating with The Hague would be "unconstitutional".
Since his arrest on April 1st, Mr Milosevic has remained in detention in Belgrade's central prison, pending an investigation into allegations of corruption and abuse of power during his 13-year rule.
The UN tribunal wants him tried in The Hague for alleged war crimes against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
The US has made it clear it will only attend the donors' conference in Brussels on June 29th if it has seen signs of progress in Belgrade's co-operation with the tribunal.
Washington has not stated whether passing the decree would be enough to satisfy its conditions.
A spokeswoman for prosecutors at the tribunal made clear they wanted actions, not just words. "Of course a decree or a statement in itself is nothing, we want implementation," Ms Florence Hartmann said.
The UN yesterday named a Portuguese diplomat, Mr Jose Cutileiro, as its special investigator for human rights in Yugoslavia and Bosnia.
Mr Cutileiro, a former ambassador to South Africa, takes over from former Czech foreign minister, Mr Jiri Dienstbier, as the UN special rapporteur. Mr Dienstbier stood down earlier this year.
Prime Minister Bozidar Matic resigned yesterday after Bosnia's central parliament failed to adopt an election bill that would have allowed the country to join the Council of Europe, a spokeswoman said in Sarajevo.