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===== AIM Evening NEWS for Tuesday, September 26, 2000 =====
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RUSSIAN MINISTER CALLS YUGOSLAV POLL FAIR
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MOSCOW, Russia, September 26, 2000 (Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said on Monday that
according to his information Sunday's presidential election in
Yugoslavia had been conducted fairly, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

"It is important that the population took an active part in the
polls, that judging by reports from international observers, the
polls passed without major violations," Ivanov told Tass in the first
public comments by a Russian official on the poll.

Ivanov reiterated Moscow's call to lift international sanctions
from Yugoslavia, Tass said.

The results of Yugoslav election and their possible impact on
the Balkans was expected to be a key issue during Monday's talks in
Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.


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SOLANA: 'YUGOSLAVIA TURNOUT SHOWS WILL FOR CHANGE'
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BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 26, 2000 (Reuters)

The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on
Monday the large turnout at Sunday's elections in Yugoslavia had
shown Serbia's voters were ready for a change.

"The people of Serbia have delivered an overwhelming vote for
change. The turnout in yesterday's election is remarkable by any
standards," Solana said in a statement released in Brussels.

"The clearly expressed will of the voters must now be translated
into reality. The people of Serbia deserve nothing less," he said.

In the run-up to Sunday's presidential and parliamentary
elections, the EU had pleaded with Serbia's people to turn out and
vote. It promised to lift sanctions in place against Serbia since
last year over Milosevic's policy in Kosovo province and offered
reconstruction aid and help out of its international isolation.


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KOSTUNICA: 'A CONVERSATION WITH MONTENEGRO'
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BELGRADE, September 26, 2000 (Free B92)

Kostunica: A conversation with Montenegro will happen shortly On
Monday evening, Vojislav Kostunica announced that he will initiate a
conversation about the Serbo-Montenegrin relations with
representatives from the Montenegro government, reported FoNet. "I
think that this conversation has to be started and DOS victory opens
the door for it to happen and it will even speed up the process."
Kostunica pointed this out in an interview with the Montenegro State
radio station. He added that in this conversation "the political
powers who should participate should be the ones who are thinking
about the well-being of Serbia and Montenegro as united countries."


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POLITICAL RALLY IN SRBICA
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PRISTINA, September 26, 2000 (KFOR)

Early yesterday afternoon, a large crowd estimated to contain
6,000 people attended a rally of the PDK political party in the
stadium in Srbica. No incidents were reported in connection with the
rally. The event lasted approximately one and a half hours.


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U.S., CROAT FORCES HOLD EXERCISE
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ABOARD THE USS AUSTIN, Croatia, September 26, 2000 (The Associated
Press)

Dressed in full battle gear and their faces painted, U.S. and
Croat naval forces simulated a landing operation on an island in the
Adriatic Sea on Tuesday in an exercise meant to train the military of
this former Yugoslav republic. About 400 sailors and 200 Marines from
the amphibious assault ship USS Austin and 400 Croatian soldiers
jumped into Zodiac rubber boats and simulated a landing operation on
the Croatian island of Zirje in the Adriatic Sea.

Croatia is a new member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program,
which allows the nation to participate in many of NATO's activities
without being a member of the alliance.

However, the timing of the exercise - two days after elections
in neighboring Yugoslavia - led to speculation that it serves to
discourage Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic from exerting force
to ensure he stays in power. Capt. William Crow, the ship's
commanding officer, denied such claims, saying that the exercise was
planned months ago and "has no relation'' to the Yugoslav elections.
But he said he was aware of the vote.

It was the largest and most demanding joint Croat-U.S. exercise
to date. Croatia, which seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991, was admitted
to the Partnership for Peace program in May, four months after
dumping the late President Franjo Tudjman's nationalist party from
power. The country is now seeking full NATO membership.


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POLITICAL PURGES IN THE SLOVENIAN MILITARY?
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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, September 26, 2000 (RFE/RL)

In recent months, Defense Minister Janez Jansa has replaced some
200 officers, including three top-ranking generals, "Dnevnik"
reported on 25 September. Military spokesmen said that the changes
are routine. The Ljubljana daily suggests, however, that Jansa is
placing his own loyalists in important positions in the armed forces.
In the 1980s, the controversial Jansa was the only leading Yugoslav
dissident to become actively involved in military and security
affairs. He subsequently played a major role in the development of
Slovenia's intelligence service and armed forces.


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BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY IN MACEDONIAN RUNOFF VOTE
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SKOPJE, Macedonia, September 26, 2000 (RFE/RL)

Officials from both the governing and opposition coalitions
claimed victory for their respective sides in the 24 September local
runoff and repeat elections, AP and Reuters reported from Skopje.
Runoffs took place in 54 districts, while voting from the 10
September elections was repeated in 27 districts. At least 25 violent
incidents took place in various towns and villages, including a
shootout between government and opposition supporters in Strumica and
clashes between groups wielding baseball bats. Several cases of
voting irregularities were also reported from various localities. At
one polling place in Skopje, a man stole the voting lists. In one
other neighborhood in the capital, local ethnic Albanians boycotted
the vote to protest violence. Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said,
however, that "so far I have reports that mention only minor
incidents, which cannot be compared to what happened in the first
round."


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LORRIES BLOCKADE BERLIN
=======================

BERLIN, Germany, September 26, 2000 (BBC)

German lorry drivers and farmers, angry at high fuel prices,
have brought traffic to a standstill in central Berlin.

Thousands of heavy vehicles moving at snail's pace converged on
the capital at dawn, clogging the main streets leading to the
Brandenburg Gate.

The protesters, who were joined by farmers and taxi-drivers,
massed at mid-day for a rally in the square there next to the
Reichstag.

To ensure the protest did not spread, police escorted the heavy
vehicles, many honking their horns, along three agreed convoy routes
into the city center. They praised the good-natured ness of the
protest.

The demonstrators, who came from across Germany, had spent the
night in gathering points outside Berlin, or in the city's Tiergarten
park.

The German Government has so far shown little willingness to
listen to the demonstrators, refusing to give in to their demands for
lower energy taxes.


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ISRAEL FACES NEW THREATS FROM THE SKY
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JERUSALEM, Israel, September 25, 2000 (CBC)

A missile test by Syria over the weekend has alarmed Israel's
security establishment.

The Syrians successfully fired a North Korean-made Scud D
missile. It has a range of 700 kilometers - far enough to hit major
targets within Israel.

Syria acquired several sophisticated Scud D missiles from North
Korea about six months ago. On Saturday it tested the first of them,
launching the missile toward northeast Syria.

The test was apparently successful, much to the alarm of
Israel's security command, which did not expect the missile to become
operational for a long time.

With its greater range and accuracy, the Scud D can hit targets
anywhere on Israeli territory.

Israel is already gearing up to deal with the threat.

It has successfully tested the Arrow, a missile developed with
U.S. help that can destroy an incoming warhead with pinpoint
accuracy.

The Israelis have also successfully tested a laser weapon that
can knock out smaller missiles or rockets.


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FLOODS KILL OVER 700, MILLIONS HOMELESS IN INDIA
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CALCUTTA, India, September 26, 2000 (The Associated Press)

Rescue crews used boats and military helicopters Monday to help
some of the millions of people washed out of their homes by floods
believed to have killed more than 700 in India and Bangladesh.

Authorities were to trying to ferry victims to higher ground,
but most remained marooned atop buildings. Air force helicopters were
dropping food and water purification packets.

The vast majority of the deaths have been in India, but the toll
in both countries was expected to rise, and waterborne diseases were
said to be breaking out.

The army was helping supply food and water to the worst-hit
districts in Bihar, as complaints poured in about inadequate supplies
of food, fuel and plastic sheets needed to put up temporary shelters,
district officials said.


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THE NEWS
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Evening News edited by Aleksandar Stan

AIM, Belgrade, September 26, 2000 17:30


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