Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 21, 2003

Messrs. [Abdul Hossein] Thabit, the head of [the] pension [organization] and [Mohammed Hossein] Torbati, the deputy of the organization, came.  They gave a report on the situation of pensioners and the trend of growth of payments and decrease of receipts.  About one and a half million workers pay deductions and 600,000 retirees, and contract workers also pay deductions to social security.  Mr. [Moqdad] Najafnejad, the representative of Babolsar, came. He said, [Party's] participation in the parliament has weakened.  He wanted me to think about returning to the presidency to save the country;  I gave the same answer as usual.

Mr. Sadegh Kharazi, our ambassador in France, came. He gave a report on his actions and said that in seven months, he had more than a thousand meetings and solved the problem of buying Airbus [planes].  Although the government does not use it.  They talked about Iraq and French policies. 

In the evening, Mr. [Abdullah] Naseri, the head of the [Islamic Republic of] IRNA news agency, came.  He apologized for the distortion that occurred in the citation of my interview in Strategy [magazine] and said that he has changed the editor, but there is a lot of pressure on him.  The General Staff [of the armed forces] has also complained to him;  because of the report he gave about Ansar al-Islam and the judiciary is also dissatisfied with him;  Because of the report that he gave about British help to the judiciary and it was denied, but he believes that it was correct.

Today, General [Jay] Garner, [the executive head of the Coalition Provisional Government of Iraq], arrived in Baghdad with 400 people, and the Americans are talking about the long stay in Iraq.  Ahmed Chalabi, [Secretary General of the Iraqi National Congress] said, Saddam [Hussein] is alive and in Iraq.  It was announced that seven people have been arrested so far from the list of 55 Baathist leaders that America has announced and has placed a reward for their arrest.  Water, electricity and service problems continue in most parts of Iraq.  The news spread that America wants to have four permanent military bases in Iraq.

Mr. Seyyed Abdul Aziz Hakim arrived in Najaf and was enthusiastically welcomed by the people and condemned the establishment of the American government in Iraq.  Karbala TV has started working and the Friday sermon delivered by Mr. [Ahmed] Al-Kubaisi, the leader of Sunnis in the Abu Hanifa Mosque in Baghdad, and the adoption of revolutionary positions have been surprised.  He was already in Dubai and supported the Baathist government.