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===== AIM Morning NEWS for Thursday, September 21, 2000 =====
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MILOSEVIC BLASTS OPPOSITION
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BELGRADE, September 21, 2000 (Beta)

Yugoslav President and the presidential candidate of the
Socialist Party of Serbia and Yugoslav Left, Slobodan Milosevic,
fiercely criticized the opposition late on Sept. 20, which he said
was a "homing device for the destruction" of the country and the
"installment of NATO."

It is important to know that they exist, who there foreign
creators are, and their protagonists in the country. Just like we
knew who did the homing during the war, we now know who is doing the
homing for the country's destruction and the installment of NATO,"
Milosevic said.

Milosevic said that the "NATO aggression was countered with
defense, economic sanctions -- a magnificent renewal of the country
and development, media, psychological and political pressure with
democratic and free elections."


==================================
MORE THAN 200,000 ATTEND DOS RALLY
==================================

BELGRADE, September 21, 2000 (Beta)

Democratic Opposition of Serbia presidential candidate Vojislav
Kostunica told a crowd of more than 200,000 supporters in Belgrade on
the evening of Sept. 20 that it "is not my intent to re-arrange the
world" but to "re-arrange this country of ours" together with the
people.

"We offer a country where there will be no bloody rivers, where
we will be neither slaves nor servants to either foreign or domestic
invaders. You have heard the offer, it is up to you to accept it on
Sept. 24 and let God grant you the wisdom and courage to attain
freedom. For Serbia, of course," Kostunica said, amid a cheering
crowd.

The rally, which began a little before 8:00 p.m. was held in
front of the Yugoslav Parliament building. Kostunica was the only DOS
official to speak at the rally, although almost all of the opposition
umbrella group's leaders were on stage behind him.

Kostunica was greeted with shouts of "Save Serbia from this
madhouse Kostunica!" and "Save Serbia and kill yourself Slobodan!"

The entire space in front of Parliament was packed with people,
while the crowd extended out to fill Pionirski Park, Nikola Pasic
square, and part of Kralja Aleksandara Boulevard .


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MORE THAN 210 FOREIGN OBSERVERS ARRIVE TO YUGOSLAVIA FOR ELECTIONS
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BELGRADE, September 21, 2000 (Tanjug)

President of the Yugoslav Electoral Commission Borivoje
Vukicevic and Supervising Board President Ivan Radosavljevic
organizes a cocktail on Wednesday evening to welcome foreign
observers who have arrived in Belgrade to monitor the federal
presidential and parliamentary elections and local elections in the
Yugoslav republic of Serbia.

More than 210 foreign observers, including parliament members
and officials from 52 countries have arrived so far. They are from-
Albania, Angola, Argentina, Belgium, Belarus, Bolivia, Bulgaria,
Chad, Czech Republic, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, France, Ghana, Greece,
India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Armenia, Jordan, Canada,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Hungary,
Macedonia, Moldova, Germany, Nepal, Nicaragua, Palestine, Portugal,
Romania, Russia, the U.S.A., Salvador, Slovakia, Sweden, Spain, Sri
Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam and
Zimbabwe.

Among the foreign observers is a joint delegation of the
parliamentary assembly of Russia and Belarus.

The foreign observers have attended the final rallies of various
political parties, and will be present at most electoral stations all
day on Sunday, Sept 24.


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ELECTION MEDIA BLACKOUT THURSDAY AT MIDNIGHT
=============================================

BELGRADE, September 21, 2000 (Free B92)

Election media blackout before the September 24 elections in
Yugoslavia starts on Thursday at midnight. It will last till the
closing of polling stations on September 24 at 8 p.m. According to
the decision from the Federal Election Commission, polling places in
Kosovo would close at 4 p.m. because of the security situation in the
region.


========================================================
POLLING STATIONS IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA WILL CLOSE AT 4 P.M.
========================================================

BELGRADE, September 21, 2000 (Tanjug)

Yugoslav Electoral Commission decided on Wednesday that polling
stations of the Prokuplje and Vranje constituencies located in
Kosovo-Metohija will be opened on Sept 24 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Commission took into the consideration the very difficult
security situation in Serbia's southern province which is
characterized by murders and persecution of the people in the
province, specifically non-Albanians, the statement said.

Having in mind this problem, the fear that the already difficult
situation could escalate on the election day, because some ethnic
Albanians openly show their intention to prevent the elections by
force, is justified.


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TAQI: ALBANIANS NOT TO TAKE PART IN ELECTIONS
=============================================

PRISTINA, September 21, 2000 (Free B92)

President of the Democratic Party of Kosovo Hashim Taqi on
Thursday said that Kosovo Albanians would not take part in the
Yugoslav elections, scheduled for September 24. In a written
statement, Taqi emphasized that "Kosovo will not participate in the
elections of any neighboring country, which included Serbian
elections as well". Taqi stated that with this statement "he wanted
to make it known to the international and Yugoslav public that Kosovo
Albanians had their own elections [local ones, on October 28] and
that the September elections were foreign elections to them," Beta
reported.


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FOUR ALBANIANS KILLED IN A CONFLICT
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PRISTINA, September 21, 2000 (Blic)

Four members of "Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and
Medvedja" /OVPMB/ were killed in armed conflict with the Police near
the administrative border with Kosovo, a source close to Serbian
Interior Ministry said to Beta agency.

Albanian media reported that three Albanians were killed in this
conflict that occurred at night between Monday and Tuesday.

As Serbian sources report, conflict occurred when "OVPMB"
members attacked police checkpoint near the village of Konculj by the
administrative border with Kosovo. The same source claims that the
Police previously got information about the time and place of attack.

Media in Pristina reported that there were killed policemen,
too. Beta agency source denied this information.

Reuters transferred statement issued by "OVPMB" that "Serbian
police forces attacked 'OVPMB' positions defending Dobrosin".
Reuters, however, adds that the Police had not entered the village
mainly inhabited by Albanians and that neither Belgrade nor KFOR had
given any comment so far.


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GRENADE ATTACKS IN GNJILANE
===========================

GNJILANE, September 21, 2000 (KFOR)

Last night KFOR Task Force 1-36th Infantry reported two separate
grenade attacks which occurred in the town of Gnjilane. Unknown
suspects threw the grenades into two front yards of Kosovo Serb
homes. No injuries were reported as a result of the explosions. Two
men were later detained as suspects but released when witnesses at
the scene stated they were not the correct individuals. KFOR and
UNMIK Police are investigating.

Twenty minutes later KFOR Task Force 1-36th Infantry reported
another explosion in Gnjilane. A KFOR US patrol was dispatched to the
scene and discovered a hand grenade spoon lying on the ground. There
was no evidence of damage or injuries reported. KFOR is
investigating.


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A SERB INJURED IN BOMB EXPLOSION
================================

PRISTINA, September 21, 2000 (Blic)

KFOR spokesman reported that unknown attacker threw a bomb at a
Serbian house in Kosovo Polje and that the owner of the house had
been injured.

Serbian sources report that Zivorad Tomic was injured, while
certain Davidovic, a displaced person got serious head and leg
injuries and was hospitalized in Kosovska Mitrovica.

KFOR spokesman also confirmed that unknown attackers yesterday
tried to kidnap a 16 years old Serbian girl in Kosovo Polje, but she
managed to escape and got the protection by KFOR soldiers from
Norway.

Spokesman further reported the fight in the northern part of
Mitrovica after which three persons were sent to got a medical
treatment due to minor injuries. According to Serbian sources, the
supporters of the regime and opposition conflicted again.


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FALSE WEB-SITES FOR YUGOSLAV ELECTIONS
======================================

BELGRADE, September 21, 2000 (Tanjug)

Yugoslav public enterprise Radio-Television Yugoslavia-Internet
Yugoslavia has once again drawn attention to the fact that the
official web-site of the Yugoslav government devoted to elections has
an Internet (URL) - site www.gov.yu/izbori.

The statement said that certain organizations financed by
Western countries use parallel sites, with similar names, so that it
is possible that on URL-sites such as www.izbori.org.yu and
www.izbori.co.yu are promoted false election results, and confusion
created.

The first mentioned web-site is currently openly promoting
candidates of the political organization Democratic Opposition of
Serbia (DOS), which runs stories such as Arm Yourselves for September
20, when the election convention of DOS is due to be held, or it even
calls on citizens to take to the streets and wait for the announcing
of trumped-up election results from their parallel election site.

The second site mentioned above is still in preparation and will
be active on September 24.

Internet Yugoslavia points out that the official site
www.gov.yu/izbori is updated in conjunction with the Yugoslav
election commission, and is therefore the most accurate source of
information about elections and about election results.


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HOSTAGES HELD IN RUSSIA RESORT
==============================

MOSCOW, Russia, September 21, 2000 (BBC)

Suspected Chechen gunmen have stormed a building in the Russian
resort of Sochi and seized a number of hostages.

As many as seven people were captured when the masked gunmen
took over the building in the Black Sea resort's Lazarevsky district.

Police assault units are reported to have recaptured part of the
building after a gun battle, leaving the kidnappers and their
hostages holed up on the hotel's first floor.

Police say the gunmen are demanding a $30m ransom and the
freeing of all Chechen prisoners held in Russian jails.

Up to four gunmen are believed to be involved.

Police spokesman Vladimir Vologin told the French news agency
AFP that the police operation to recapture the building had been
called off to give negotiations a chance.

One of the hostages managed to escape by jumping out of a
window, he said.

Itar-Tass news agency said President Putin had assigned the
internal security service, the FSB, to co-ordinate the response to
the hostage drama.

Senior FSB officials were reported to be flying to Sochi to deal
with the situation.


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SPANISH POLITICIAN SHOT DEAD, ETA BLAMED
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MADRID, Spain, September 21, 2000 (Reuters)

A town councilor for Spain's ruling party was shot dead in a
suburb of Barcelona on Thursday in the latest of a wave of attacks
blamed on ETA Basque separatist rebels.

The shooting appeared to be the first reprisal for a recent
police crackdown in Spain and France that included the capture last
Friday of ETA's suspected leader, Ignacio Gracia Arregui, in the
French Basque region.

The victim, Jose Luis Ruiz Casado, was a 42-year-old town
councilor from Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's Popular Party in the
industrial suburb Sant Adria de Besos, near Barcelona. He was married
with two children.

The killing was the 13th either claimed by or blamed on ETA
since it called off a 14-month cease-fire in December. The rebels'
summer offensive of bombings and assassinations have been the
bloodiest in a decade.


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MISSILE ROCKS BRITISH SPY BUILDING
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LONDON, England, September 21, 2000 (CBC)

A "small missile" was fired at the headquarters of MI-6,
Britain's foreign intelligence service late Wednesday, police said.
The blast didn't injure anyone, and caused minor damage to the
building.

Alan Fry, head of the police anti-terrorist branch, said the
missile hit the eighth floor of the spy headquarters.

The secret service building is located in central London near
the Vauxhall Bridge across the Thames River. British police closed
off nearby roads and bridges.

Witnesses say they heard two loud bangs and saw a flash inside
the spy headquarters. One witness said it was loud enough to shake
his apartment building.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but recent
assaults point to dissident members of the Irish Republican movement
opposed to the peace process in Northern Ireland.

"Clearly I have to keep in mind the capability of dissident
Irish groups," Fry told reporters. "But at this stage I would not be
ruling out any other group who might see the secret intelligence
service as a potential target."

In July, the Real IRA claimed responsibility for a bomb planted
at a London subway station. And in June, a small bomb crippled a
major commuter bridge.


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EUROPEAN UNION CAN'T AGREE ON FUEL STRATEGY
============================================

PARIS, France, September 21, 2000 (CBC)

Europe's politicians have failed to agree on how to wrestle down
soaring gasoline prices.

Ministers held a crisis meeting in Luxembourg Wednesday as
protests sputtered on in the European Union.

France, the current president of the EU, called the emergency
meeting but failed to get the other EU countries to agree on a common
approach to deal with soaring oil prices.

Still, France's Prime Minister called for a meeting between the
EU, the United States and OPEC to find a way of lowering prices at
the pumps.

"Oil is set by the market like any other commodity," he said.
"OPEC can take oil off the market and make prices go up. In the end,
though, the reaction is that people just consume less."

France, Italy and the Netherlands responded to truckers'
protests by cutting taxes on diesel. Countries like Britain, Spain
and Germany say their taxes will stay.

As the politicians failed to agree, European protesters held
their own. Thousands of fishermen and farmers are shutting down ports
and blockading fuel distribution centers in Spain today.

Swedish protesters are blockading the major port of Gothenburg.


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INDIA TO WITHDRAW FROM LEAD OF U.N. PEACEKEEPING IN SIERRA LEONE
================================================================

UNITED NATIONS, September 21, 2000 (The Associated Press)

In a surprise move, India said Wednesday it plans to withdraw
its entire 3,000-strong contingent from the 13,000-member U.N.
peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, dealing another blow to the
embattled mission trying to help restore peace after eight years of
civil war.

The announcement left the United Nations scrambling to find
replacements for the Indians, who had the second-largest contingent
in the mission after Nigeria, and appeared to delay even further
plans for beefing up the force to 20,500 personnel.

"We have decided to withdraw from Sierra Leone as part of a
routine rotation out of the mission so as to give other member states
a chance to participate in the mission," a spokesman for India's U.N.
Mission said.

The Indian announcement came after the Security Council
temporarily extended the U.N. mission in Sierra Leone until Dec. 31
to give the United Nations more time to round up troops for a major
increase in the force size.


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STORM RIPS THROUGH OHIO TOWN
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XENIA, US, September 21, 2000 (CNN)

One person was killed and more than 100 injured when a severe
storm -- possibly a tornado -- ripped through this city in
southwestern Ohio, causing heavy damage to homes and buildings.

The storm struck Wednesday night, about 7:30 p.m. EDT. Xenia's
fire chief reported a man was killed when a falling tree crushed the
car in which he was riding. Two other people in the car were taken by
helicopter to a local hospital.

High winds damaged homes and commercial buildings, blew over
cars and downed trees and utility lines. The roof was blown off at
least one church.

The National Weather Service reported a severe storm system
moved through the region, bringing with it heavy rain and wind gusts
of up to 70 mph. However, authorities and officials with the National
Weather Service said they had no verification of a tornado touchdown.


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THE NEWS
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Morning News edited by Aleksandar Stan

AIM, Belgrade, September 21, 2000 14:25


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