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===== AIM Morning NEWS for Wednesday, September 27, 2000 =====
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SIK: RUNOFF IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
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BELGRADE, September 26, 2000 (BETA)

The Federal Electoral Committee (SIK) stated tonight that
according to the preliminary results in the presidential there will
be a runoff, and that the leftist coalition will have absolute
majority in the Federal Parliament and that they would thus set up
government on their own. The Serbian National Television stated that
based on the first preliminary SIK results, presidential candidate of
the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) Vojislav Kostunica took
48.22% with Slobodan Milosevic of the left coalition taking 40.25%,
based on the results from 10,153 polling stations. The Federal
Electoral Committee said that a total of 5,036,478 voter or 64.65
percent of the total number of registered voters (7,848,818) turned
out in the elections.

According to the SIK information on the elections for the lower
house of the Federal Parliament, DOS secured 59 mandates, SPS-JUL 44,
the People's Socialist Party of Montenegro (SNP) 28, Serbian Radical
Party (SRS) three, and Serbian People's Party (SNS), while two
mandates will be divided among the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO),
Democratic Association of Vojvodina Hungarians or Serbian Unity
Party, depending on the final results.

In the elections for the upper house of the Federal Parliament,
according to SIK information DOS has taken 10 mandates, SPS-JUL
seven, SNP 19, SRS 2, SPO one and SNS one mandate.


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DOS: KOSTUNICA WON THE FIRST ROUND
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BELGRADE, September 26, 2000 (Blic)

"According to data from 97.5 percent of processed polling
stations, DOS presidential candidate Vojislav Kostunica got 54.66
percent of votes. Slobodan Milosevic candidate of left coalition got
35.01 percent of votes", Cedomir Jovanovic, chief of DOS central
election office said yesterday. He said that 5,093,038 votes had been
counted. Kostunica got 2,783,870 and Milosevic 1,783,073 votes.

"On the basis of these results, in the name of DOS, I proclaim
victory of Vojislav Kostunica in presidential elections held on
September 24. We expect that Kostunica starts performing his
presidential duties within legal time period", Jovanovic said. He
pointed out that DOS got 59 mandates for the House of the citizens of
the federal Parliament, while left coalition got 44 mandates, Serbian
Radical Party 4 and Serbian Renewal Movement l mandate. "There were
26 election units. DOS won in 22 of them. DOS lost in two election
units and in one election unit we have the same number of mandates as
the left coalition". Jovanovic further pointed out that DOS got 10
mandates in the House of the Republics of the federal Parliament.
Socialist Party of Serbia got 7, radicals 2 and Serbian Renewal
Movement 1 mandate. Jovanovic said that according to processed data,
DOS won the power in 89 municipalities.

He protested because "Federal election commission is not doing
its job and pointed out that DOS members in Federal election
commission, supported by the radicals and Serbian Renewal Movement,
insisted on holding a session by this body. "Since majority of
Federal election commission consists of representatives of the
regime, we suppose they are waiting political directives before
announcement of official data", Jovanovic said. Jovanovic pointed out
that last night DOS got assurances from the highest officials of the
leftists claiming that "they are completely aware of the election
result". He also said that today at 8 p.m., in front of the federal
Parliament building, DOS would announce election results.

DOS member in Federal election commission, Sinisa Nikolic, said
that opposition representatives in this body had not got any
information regarding election results or when these results would be
announced. Opposition representatives also do not know when Federal
election commission will hold a session. Nikolic spent 36 hours in
the Parliament because opposition representatives have organized
permanent duty.


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KOSTUNICA: NO SECOND ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
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BELGRADE, September 26, 2000 (BBC)

The presidential candidate of the Democratic Opposition of
Serbia (DOS) Vojislav Kostunica resolutely rejected the possibility
of running in the second round of the federal presidential election.
Kostunica described the announcement of the Federal Electoral
Commission (SIK) as regards the second round of the presidential
election as "a political fraud" and "an obvious election theft"
emphasizing that such a deception could not be accepted. "The
Socialists are trying to strike a bargain over the second round of
the presidential election in an attempt to save Slobodan Milosevic.
This is an insulting offer for all the citizens of this country who
went to the polls which, of course, can and must be rejected. This is
particularly insulting for more than 2.5 million voters who have put
faith in the political concept represented by the Democratic
Opposition of Serbia (DOS) and myself as the presidential candidate",
Kostunica stated.

"Truth is obvious and we will defend it with all means at our
disposal. The people have handed down their political verdict for the
Milosevic's policy. Our obligation is to carry it out", Kostunica
stated in his press release.


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DJINDJIC: WE DEMAND INSPECTION OF ELECTION MATERIAL
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BELGRADE, September 26, 2000 (FreeSerbia)

In his statement for Radio 021 one of the Serbian Democratic
Opposition leaders, Zoran Djindjic, said that the difference between
the results of the Democratic Opposition and the Federal Electoral
Commission was 600,000 votes. "We will demand from the Federal
Electoral Commission to allow us to inspect the election material and
we will compare it to the results we have, and then we will make
public our definitive stance", Djindjic concluded.


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DACIC: WE WON IN THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTIONS
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BELGRADE, September 26, 2000 (BETA)

Ivica Dacic, head of the Belgrade SPS board, said today that the
leftist parties won in the elections that are "most important" in
every country - the parliamentary elections, but did not mention the
results of the presidential elections. "We can be extremely satisfied
with the Belgrade results and number of votes in the parliamentary
elections, because that is one of the greatest results achieved in
the parliamentary elections" Dacic said.

"As far as the local elections are concerned, we lost them. That
is, we did not take city government, because we didn't have
government there". He said that the socialists are "not cross with
the election results and that they respect the will of the citizens".


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SERBIAN PATRIARCH MEETS KOSTUNICA
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BELGRADE, September 26, 2000 (BETA)

Patriarch Pavle today invited "all, including the army and
police to defend the interests of the people and the state, not the
individual", and expressed his expectation that "the ruling parties
will also accept the electoral will of the people". The Patriarch
received the presidential candidate of the Democratic Opposition of
Serbia, Vojislav Kostunica, and thanked him for his past "attitude
and morals, as well as DOS' wish to finish the election and
post-election in a peaceful and dignified manner", it is said in the
statement of the Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"In the entire civilized world the government is changed by will
of the people only in free and democratic countries. His Eminence
expects that the ruling parties will accept the election will of the
people, and contribute to the well-being of the people and state",
the statement reads. Kostunica informed the Patriarch of the election
results available to DOS and expressed his concern "regarding the
issue of accepting the democratically expressed will of the people".


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"MILOSEVIC SHALL LEAVE FROM POWER IF NECESSARY"
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MOSCOW, Russia, September 26, 2000 (Blic)

Yugoslav Ambassador in Moscow, Borislav Milosevic, said
yesterday that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic would act in
line with the Constitution and that he would leave from power if he
should do so. He also said that Milosevic would probably stay in his
country after that, in spite of pressures from abroad. "My brother is
not a monster wishing to remain in power at any cost", Milosevic said
in his statement for Echo Radio of Moscow.

Borislav Milosevic said that election results would be announced
on Wednesday evening. He rejected accusations by the West that the
authorities in Belgrade planned fraud, explaining delay in
announcement of the results by lack of contemporary computer
technology.


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CLINTON: USA WILL LIFT YUGOSLAVIA SANCTIONS
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WASHINGTON, USA, September 26, 2000 (Deutsche Welle)

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic appeared to have lost his
"last vestige of legitimacy" after elections in which the opposition
did well despite voting irregularities, President Bill Clinton said
on Tuesday. Mr. Clinton dangled the prospect of lifting economic
sanctions applied to Yugoslavia by the United States and its allies
if "the will of the people is respected."


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AT LEAST 40 DIE IN GREEK FERRY SINKING
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ATHENS, Greece, September 26, 2000 (CBC)

A rescue operation is under way in Greece, where a ferry with
511 passengers sank near a popular tourist island late Tuesday.
Officials say at least 40 people are dead and 46 others are still
missing. The Express Samina ferry hit a reef in rough seas and strong
winds, and went down off the Aegean island of Paros at about 10:30
p.m. local time. Coast guard officials said more than 350 people were
quickly rescued. Dozens of fishing boats, pleasure craft, and a
nearby British Navy vessel rushed to the scene to help. The coast
guard says one of the people who died was a port official who
suffered a heart attack during the rescue operation.

Emergency crews are canvassing the area for people who may have
swum to nearby islands or who are still in the water. Survivors were
treated in local hospitals for cuts, bruises and hypothermia. Others
were put up in hotels. The ferry makes regularly scheduled runs from
the Athens port of Piraeus to the island of Samos.


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POLICE AND PROTESTERS CLASH IN PRAGUE
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PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia, September 26, 2000 (CBC)

Thousands of activists hurled cobblestones and Molotov cocktails
at riot police Tuesday, fulfilling their threat to disrupt the
opening of the annual World Bank and International Monetary Fund
meetings. Wearing black and wielding sticks, protesters descended
within meters of the conference center where delegates met. They
failed to shut down the meetings, but succeeded in blocking access to
them for a few hours. Several officers were set on fire when a
gasoline bomb exploded. The flames were put out with a water cannon.
Police used tear gas, dogs and stun grenades to force the
anti-globalization protesters back. Czech officials said about 65
people were hurt.

Many of the delegates arrived before dawn to avoid
demonstrations outside the heavily guarded Prague Congress Center.
The protesters say the policies of the World Bank and the IMF are
hurting the world's poor. They contend that the dominance of global
conglomerates is making life even worse for poor people in the third
world. The violence recalled similar scenes at international meetings
in Seattle and Washington. Police called in additional security from
all over the country to boost the 11,000 officers already guarding
Prague. Many citizens have left the city and storefronts are boarded
up in anticipation of the violence. The clashes forced IMF organizers
to cancel a gala evening at the Prague opera but they said talks
would continue as scheduled.


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ISRAEL AND PALESTINE BEGIN SEPARATE TALKS
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WASHINGTON, USA, September 26, 2000 (Deutsche Welle)

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators began meeting separately
with U.S. Middle East envoy Dennis Ross in Washington on Tuesday
night, the first of several days of contacts planned, officials said.
The aim of the talks, which follow a summit meeting in Israel, is to
explore ideas for bridging the gap between the two sides on some of
the toughest issues left in the Arab-Israeli dispute, including the
future of Jerusalem and the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees.
Ahead of the talks U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said
the Middle East peace negotiations were entering the final phase. The
United States would be doing everything in its power to assist the
talks to a successful conclusion, said Albright.


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HELICOPTER CLASH KILLS EIGHT IN SWITZERLAND
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BERN, Switzerland, September 26, 2000 (Deutsche Welle)

Two helicopters have collided in Switzerland, killing at least
eight passengers including Indian tourists, according to local
police. Four others were injured. An eyewitness told Swiss radio that
the rotors of the two helicopters touched during landing. Both
aircraft crashed onto a soccer field in full view of 60 Indian
tourists who had been waiting to make sightseeing tours. The accident
happened near the alpine town of Beuson-Nendaz. According to police,
among those killed was one helicopter pilot. It ranks as
Switzerland's worst helicopter disaster ever. Police sealed off the
area because of spilt kerosene fuel.




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TOMMY SUHARTO CONVICTED
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JAKARTA, Indonesia, September 26, 2000 (BBC)

Anti-corruption campaigners in Indonesia have welcomed a
decision by the country's Supreme Court to sentence the youngest son
of former President Suharto to 18 months in jail for corruption.
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra's conviction, over a 1995 land-swap deal
involving government property, is the first for any member of the
Suharto family for corruption during the former president's 32-year
rule. The decision overturns an acquittal in October 1998 on the same
charges - evidence was presented at the time that the deal had cost
the Indonesian state about $10.8m.

Defense lawyers said it was likely that they would lodge an
appeal, with Tommy Suharto remaining free until the appeal was heard.
Ricardo Gelael, a business associate of Tommy Suharto was also
sentenced to 18 months in prison. The deal in question involved a
supermarket chain run by Tommy called PT Goro, and the state agency
Bulog.


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MICROSOFT CLAIMS SUPREME COURT VICTORY
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SEATTLE, USA, September 26, 2000 (BBC)

Microsoft on Tuesday won an important victory in its fight
against being broken up when the US Supreme Court ruled that the
software giant's appeal should first be heard by a lower court.

The case will now be sent to a Federal appeals court where
analysts said the firm could expect to receive a more sympathetic
hearing. Any ruling could also be years in coming, delaying the
proposed break-up of the company and possibly making it irrelevant as
the high-tech industry continues its rapid evolution.

Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said he was relieved by the court
verdict and "confident" that Microsoft would eventually win its
appeal. "Having this hang over our heads is not good for us or
consumers, and we are happy to get on with it," he said.


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THE NEWS
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Morning news edited by Vukasin Stojkov

AIM, Belgrade, September 27, 2000 13:00


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