Memories of Akbar Hashemi - June 9, 2002

Thanking the Bangladeshi ambassador for the impact I had in resolving his country's issue with India over the northern waters. Dr. Alireza Nouri's request, [Tehran representative], for the renewal of his brother's [Mr. Abdollah Nouri, former Minister of Interior] weekly leave and his conditional release. He said that his leave was probably suspended due to Dr. [Ebrahim] Yazdi and some of the national-religious individuals visiting him.

Complete text of the daily report:

Mr. Abdollah Hassan wanted me to travel to Dhaka again. I also spoke about important areas of collaboration.

Mr. Doctor Alireza Nouri, [Representative of Tehran] came. He called for my action to renew the weekly leave of his brother [Mr. Abdollah Nouri, former Minister of Interior] and requested his conditional release, stating that his leave was likely suspended due to Dr. [Ebrahim] Yazdi's [leader of the Freedom Movement] visit and some of the National-Religious figures. He mentioned that the situation in the parliament is unfavorable, and practically no service is being rendered. The situation in the government is also not good; in particular, the hospitals are in a bad state and are in debt, and [Mr. Massoud Pezeshkian], the Minister of Health, continuously makes unsupported promises, and the second Khordad factions are in disagreement over membership in the parliamentary board.

In the era of Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Abasi Farid, a jurist of the Guardian Council and a member of the Assembly of Experts, he came forward. He consulted for candidacy in the upcoming parliamentary elections—with the aim of leaving the Guardian Council—and mentioned that during his youth, when he went to Rafsanjan for campaigning, he realized that the time of his trip to Qom for education marked a historical milestone for the religious and spiritual circles of the region. Subsequently, he was influenced by me in the first parliament and has until now sought my counsel in all important matters. He sought solutions for preparing a location for the Secretariat of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran and also had some questions regarding the relationship of the Expediency Discernment Council with the three branches.

In Palestine, clashes continue. Today, on the eve of [Ariel] Sharon's visit, the [Israeli Prime Minister], Palestinians took down four Israelis. During [Hosni] Mubarak's ongoing trip to America, it became clear that he did not reach an agreement with [George] Bush; although the Egyptians are trying to revive negotiations based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, according to the resolution of the Arab leaders' summit in Beirut, in response to the Israeli occupation. Bush has not promised any scheduled action and during their joint interview, several disagreements surfaced, and informed sources say that Sharon's trip to America is aimed at opposing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as well as undermining [Yasser] Arafat and creating a self-governing authority with conservative members, and it has been reported that [George] Tenet, the head of the CIA, is currently in the region seeking this out.In Germany, strikes by major labor sectors and the success of some in gaining concessions and spreading it to other sectors have become a major issue. The discovery of a dangerous microbe in agriculture and livestock in Germany has raised the risk of banning exports of these goods.

In Italy, on the eve of the important FAO conference aimed at strengthening the food security of the world's underprivileged, the ground is set for widespread protests against globalization, which has become a common occurrence at all such conferences. The declaration of a state of emergency and readiness of armed forces, as well as protection for land and air, has also become a standard practice, indicating their fragile security. It has become apparent that the FAO's previous decision to cut the number of hungry people in half has been unsuccessful. In Afghanistan, everything is ready for the start of the Loya Jirga, and an informed official has announced that there are about 15,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.