Synchronization Logs in Outlook 2000

The MS KB Article ID: Q195428OL2000: (CW) Messages Deleted Offline Appear in Server Folder is the best thing I found for you.

To avoid a large build up of messages in the Deleted Items folder, follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, clickOptions and then click the Other tab.

Click to clear the "Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting" check box.

Although this option requires that you empty the Deleted Items folder manually, you can delete the items by synchronizing the folder.

Deleting Items Using Synchronization
To delete items using synchronization, on the Tools menu, point to Synchronize and click All Folders.

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To synchronize the Deleted Items folder in a separate synchronization process, follow these steps:

On the Outlook Bar, click the Deleted Items folder.

On the Tools menu, point to Synchronize, and then click This Folder.

This practice forces the deleted items to the server for purging

I would create a new folder (temp delete for example) and put the files you want to keep in it.and let outlook do it's work.
If you have the chance upgrade to office 2000 sp2.