Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - April 12, 2002

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell praised Sharon's pacifism today in Israel. In Venezuela, the military staged a coup against Hugo Chávez and installed a military interim government. It is clear that the United States is behind the coup.

Full text of the diary:

I was at home and we had a lot of rain. It is predicted that we will have rain tomorrow as well. In the city of Omidiyeh in Khuzestan, 105 mm of rain has fallen, and in this regard, it is a good year. As usual on Fridays, noon, and evenings, children and relatives were here. During the journey to Karbala, Effat fell to the ground in the bathroom and her hand hurts.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell was in Israel today and in a joint interview with [Israeli Prime Minister] Sharon, he praised Sharon's pacifism! It has really taken the shamelessness to the extreme. He is scheduled to go to Ramallah tomorrow to meet [Yasser] Arafat.The Israeli army's attacks on the Palestinians have intensified.

After a few days of hesitation, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher met with Arafat today with Sharon's permission. It seems that they are preparing the ground for an agreement that will satisfy the United States. With three martyrdom operations, today the Palestinians killed and wounded a large number of Israelis, and Sharon called it a message to Powell.

A number of Qom marjas, as well as the Mufti of Al-Azhar, called martyrdom operations permissible and selfless sacrifices martyrs, and allowed zakat to be spent to help the Palestinians, in contrast to the propaganda of the United States to portray these selfless people as terrorists.  

In Venezuela, the military staged a coup against Hugo Chávez, and he surrendered and a military interim government was established. It is clear that the United States is behind the coup. A few days ago, there were strikes in the Venezuelan oil industry to oppose the president's appointments, and a group of capitalists had launched other strikes and demonstrations.

In Kabul and Peylan, Afghanistan, an earthquake occurred again and a number of people were killed. In Pakistan, opposition to Musharraf's proposed plebiscite is on the rise, but he insists on doing it.