Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 24, 2003

The [UN] Security Council could not reach a decision on Iraq in its meeting yesterday.  Under the pressure of public opinion, the United States opposed the presence of the invaders in Iraq and especially the unprecedented gathering of Shiites in Karbala and threw harsh slogans against the United States and accused Iran of interfering in the affairs of Iraq.  Exploitation of Iraq's oil began with the activation of four wells in the Rumaileh area.
One of the important ammunition warehouses in Mosul was blown up and a group of American soldiers in Kuwait were killed and injured in the explosion, and it was announced that four other Iraqi leaders who were on the list of 55 silver have surrendered to the attackers.
I had a meeting with [Mr. Dominique de Villepin], the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, who has come to Iran, at the Saadabad Republic Building.  Most of our positions on Iraq issues are close to each other.  He requested that we cooperate more on the issue of Palestine and the inspection of nuclear facilities.  I also praised France's positions while strongly rejecting the American intervention in Iraq and the necessity of leaving the fate of Iraq to the Iraqi people.  I said about Palestine, without giving the rights of the Palestinian people, there will be no peace.  Regarding the nuclear industries, I said that both sides should fulfill their commitments.
Mr. Sardar [Qassem] Soleimani, [commander of IRGC Quds Force] came.  He reported on the measures taken by the Quds Force in the Iraq issue and the deployment of the Badr Corps and Iraqi students and the equipping of the Shiite forces in Iraq, and said that 10 billion Tomans have been spent so far and most of the Shiite cities are under the administration of the Shiite People's Councils.  The Americans have no objection and are ready to cooperate with the Soviets.  The upper hand is from the forces of the Supreme Council, and [Moqtadi] Sadr's forces also have a lot of influence;  Because most of the people of Iraq follow [his father] the late Seyyed Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr, and no other country has as much influence on the people of Iraq as Iran. 
Mr. Mohammad Baqer Hakim, [Speaker of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq] is also supposed to go to Iraq in a week.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not see any reason to oppose the proposed plan of Saudi Arabia regarding the administration of cities by local councils and the sending of council representatives to the center to form the central council.
In Nigeria, the current president has won the election, but his rivals say it was rigged and there is a possibility of a continuation of the conflict that has killed thousands so far.