France, which holds the presidency of the European Union, moved to welcome Yugoslavia into the diplomatic fold yesterday, announcing that diplomatic relations would be resumed very rapidly.
The visiting French Foreign Minister, Mr Hubert Vedrine, made the announcement after he met President Vojislav Kostunica in the capital, Belgrade.
The renewal of diplomatic ties is not contingent on the handover of war criminals, and Dr Kostunica told Mr Vedrine that the fate of Slobodan Milosevic - indicted for war crimes by a UN court - is "not a priority" for Belgrade.
But Serbia's new rulers have admitted the situation is not yet stable and yesterday said they were not in full control of the police and that some units had resumed the bugging that allegedly stopped after Slobodan Milosevic was ousted in a popular revolt last week.
Mr Zoran Djindjic, a member of a crisis committee set up last week by backers of Dr Kostunica, said the secret police were not under democratic control and noted that the country had no interior minister.
Mr Milosevic himself has not been seen publicly since Friday. A senior Russian parliamentarian said that Moscow had received no request for asylum from Mr Milosevic or for his missing son, Marko.
NATO said yesterday its Balkan force of 65,000 troops would remain in the region to provide a bedrock of security, despite Yugoslavia's peaceful revolution and signs of easing tensions elsewhere. It signalled its eagerness for direct contacts with Yugoslavia's new government.
Dr Kostunica has ruled out independence for either Kosovo or Montenegro, the tiny republic that with Serbia makes up the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The international community meanwhile is engaging with Dr Kostunica's new Serbia. The European Commission estimates that it could require 2.3 billion euros ($2 billion) to build Serbia up over a period of seven years.
The United States has also said it would send a senior diplomat to Belgrade as Washington prepares to lift economic sanctions. But Germany stressed that there should be no end to the arms embargo imposed on Belgrade.
Dr Kostunica and his 18-party Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) were still bargaining yesterday with former allies of Dr Milosevic, after announcing an agreement with them to hold fresh elections in December for Serbia's powerful parliament, still full of Milosevic supporters.
The horse-trading came after the parliamentary opposition enjoyed a major success in forcing the resignation of two members of the ex-regime, including Serbia's notorious interior minister.
During Mr Vedrine's landmark visit just a day after the European Union began to end years of crippling sanctions, the newly elected leader also broached the sensitive issue of some 1,000 Kosovo Albanians still held in Serbian jails.
Almost 17 months after NATO air strikes ended the 1998-'99 Kosovo conflict, some 950 Kosovo Albanians are still held in Serbian prisons, mostly on charges of "terrorism" for alleged links with the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army. Kosovo has been under UN administration since June last year.
Kosovo Albanian leaders insist there can be no return home of at least 200,000 Kosovo Serbs who fled post-war revenge attacks until the prisoners are released.