Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - May 2, 2001 - Rejection of Sheikh Gholamreza Hosni's Request for a Meeting to Convince Hashemi to Participate in the Presidential Election, and Letter Prepared by Him Along with Seyyed Ali Akbar Ghorishi

Rejection of Sheikh Gholamreza Hosni's Request for a Meeting to Convince Hashemi to Participate in the Presidential Election, and Letter Prepared by Him Along with Seyyed Ali Akbar Ghorishi

Complete Daily Record:

Most of the time was spent studying. Mr. Gholamreza Hosni, the Friday prayer leader of Urmia, called to request an urgent meeting with the scholars of West Azerbaijan. I realized that they intended to insist on my candidacy in the upcoming elections. I thanked him and said not to come, as it would have no effect. Previously, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Ghorishi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, had written a letter regarding this matter. The number of individuals registered for the presidency has reached 134, but most are unknown.

Yesterday, it was suddenly announced that the U.S. had cut off all military negotiations and relations with China due to the Chinese government's actions regarding its spy plane. However, two hours later, it was announced that the report was miscommunicated, and the original news indicated that relations should be assessed and decided on a case-by-case basis.

Israeli military forces today entered a Palestinian camp in Rafah with bulldozers and tanks, destroying part of it and injuring several individuals. They also crossed the border into Lebanon, installing a watchtower in the northern border area and called for an end to hostilities, seeking negotiations based on new proposals from Egypt and Jordan aimed at ending the Intifada.

U.S. President George W. Bush announced that he is firmly continuing the Star Wars program, and Russia stated that if this action occurs, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty would be nullified. As a warning, a new advanced missile was tested today, and China stated it would continue to engage in such an arms race. The European Union is pressuring the U.S. to abandon this program, but India has stated that it would support it if it replaces nuclear weapons development. The U.S. has indicated its intention to conclude negotiations with North Korea regarding nuclear weapons control, while the European Union has sent a delegation to South Korea to encourage it to refrain from developing nuclear weapons.

Fighting continues in Afghanistan. My news computer had issues; Mr. Mehrdad Mahmoudi came from the office and fixed it.