Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 12, 1993

I woke up in the morning before the call to prayer and did not sleep again. I did the work and read the reports until ten o'clock in the morning. [Mr. Panah Hossein Auf], Deputy President of Azerbaijan came. He brought the letter of their president. Previously, Dr. Habibi gave a short report on the negotiations. As a result of their recent defeats against Armenia, they are very unhappy. In a position of weakness, they demand military, food and political aid and admit the mistake of the People's Front in adopting anti-Iranian positions; In general, they are raw and uncooked. I promised help and gave advice to the internal alliance.

[Mr. M Ratafika], the energy minister of Madagascar came and brought a letter from their newly elected president. He wants help; Oil with deadlines and facilities. He reads his speeches from the script, which was also long.

The currency distribution policy committee had a meeting. We negotiated about the quality of currency distribution to control the rate. It was decided that banks should give currency to people and LCs should be opened immediately. We also adopted resolutions to reduce the demand for foreign exchange. In the evening, the Economic Council had a meeting. We decided on the new prices of foreign flights and completed the approvals before noon regarding the currency.

I stayed in my office at night. The new place has not been prepared yet and our house has been evacuated. On the phone, I told Dr. [Hasan] Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], that the issue of the possible blockage of the Suez Canal to our ships should be investigated in the secretariat in order to predict the solution and how to deal with it.

According to the reports, the establishment of [North Atlantic Treaty Organization], NATO, is important for maintaining the security of the space of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is an insufficient measure.