Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 13, 2003

Mr. Mohsen Hakim, son of Seyyed Abdul-Aziz Hakim, came. He gave an account of the situation in Iraq and said that the members of the Governing Council were not imposed on them and all are acceptable, and [Paul] Bremer, [the executive director of the Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq], has no veto power, but it is clear that if the Council makes decisions contrary to the interests of the occupiers, it is not certain they will be implemented. Three important issues are among the objectives of the Council:

1. Running the affairs of the country
2. Reconstruction
3. Drafting a constitution.

He said the Supreme Council and the Badr Corps have no problems with America. He complained about Ayatollah [Seyyed Kazem] Haeri and Muqtada al-Sadr, and this was mostly why he had come. He said that Seyyed Hossein Khomeini is close to and influenced by one of the anti-Iranian clerics who is a friend of America. They will soon announce the cabinet. He spoke about the problems of Shia endowments, which in Saddam [Hussein]'s time practically did not reach their actual beneficiaries. Since his remarks were left unfinished, he came back in the evening to complete them.

Mr. [Mohammad Heydari] Qasemi, a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, came. He had criticisms of judicial management and spoke about the need for cleric judges to study more on legal matters.

Messrs. [Azizollah] Alaedini, Shamlou, and Farhangi, [from the Qaim Charity Foundation], came. They gave a report on centers for the disabled and requested that I support the new Taleqan road and its tunnel, as well as the establishment of Islamic Azad University in Taleqan.

In Iraq, an oil pipeline has been blown up and several Americans have been killed and wounded in guerrilla operations. In Turkey, demonstrations have been held against sending troops to Iraq.

In Afghanistan, attacks against government forces and America have intensified, and two Pakistani soldiers have been killed by Americans on the Afghan border. Today they have had at least 60 casualties. [Hamid] Karzai, [the head of the Afghan interim government], has told [Mohammad] Ismail Khan, [the governor of Herat], that he cannot hold a military command position alongside the governorship. In Kandahar, [Gul Agha] Shirzai, the governor, has apparently been removed, ostensibly as a promotion to a ministerial position. It seems both of these measures will face problems. Meanwhile, in the Security Council [of the United Nations], the expansion of foreign forces outside Kabul is being discussed. NATO currently has responsibility for these forces.

The multiplicity of Friday prayers in Karbala and Najaf, due to lack of agreement, has become problematic, with each side considering the other unqualified. In Baghdad's Sadr City, severe clashes have occurred between the Americans and supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr over Americans pulling down an Islamic flag from a building.