Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – February 29, 1996

Early in the morning we went to [Mehrabad] Airport and flew toward Zahedan. The Ministers of Energy, Construction Jihad, and Industries—Messrs. [Hadi] Manafi, [Hamid] Mirzadeh, and [Kamal] Kharrazi—were with us. On the way, Mr. Kharrazi spoke about the issues of America and the plans for American pressures and the solutions; that was why he had come.

There was a welcome at Zahedan Airport. We immediately flew in a smaller plane toward Khash. At Khash Airport, which belongs to the army and is small and dilapidated, large planes cannot land. There were also clouds, and the plane landed with difficulty.

From there we went to the site of the Khash cement factory. We passed through the city's ring road. There the managing director gave explanations. It has a production capacity of 2,500 tons of cement, 500 tons of which is of the pozzolanic type, using material from the Taftan volcano mountain. It has cost eight billion tomans in rials and 57 million dollars in foreign currency, but with the advancement of technical knowledge and technology, from now on building such a factory will require about 20 million dollars in foreign currency.

Then we visited the entire factory; from the crusher to the loading, and we heard useful explanations. I gave permission for the trucks carrying bagged and bulk cement to move, and I unveiled the inauguration plaque. Among the staff, Mr. [Mohammad-Reza] Nematzadeh, [Minister of Industries], gave a report on the state of the province's industry and the country's cement industry. I too gave a detailed speech about the province's progress. They had set up an exhibition of the province's mineral products, whose variety and richness are very noteworthy and valuable and can have an impact on the province.

After lunch and prayers, we flew to Konarak Air Base. We immediately flew by helicopters to the Bahukalat region. From the air we saw the Pishin Dam, which in that dry region is very pleasant and full of water. We landed at the Bahukalat site. Mr. Zanganeh, [Minister of Energy], and the consultant for the land preparation project below the dam and the representative of the Land Bank gave explanations. They are preparing about eight thousand hectares for transfer for pressurized irrigation; planting is to begin in the middle of the year 1375 [1996].

We flew toward Chabahar. We arrived after sunset. We landed at the site where the ceremony for the start of operation of the water supply project to Chabahar was to be held. The people are very happy and welcomed us with instruments, the dhol, the tombak, and an anthem. We opened the tap. The Minister of Energy and the Director-General of the province's Water Authority and the representative of the Revolutionary Guards gave explanations. It is 103 kilometers of water transmission line with several pumping stations, at a cost of 45 billion rials and two and a half years of work. Previously they had bought two desalination units for the city's water, but with the construction of the Pishin Dam, they preferred to bring the water from the dam; it is both cheaper and more reliable. It was arranged that they would sell the desalination units and spend the money on building the Zirvan Dam in Baluchistan. I too gave a detailed speech about the importance of this project and other infrastructural measures for the province, and especially for Chabahar and the southeast of the country, including the Guatr region.

By car we went to the Tis area in the west of Chabahar Bay for the groundbreaking ceremony of the winter training camp, which had been started with my assistance. Mr. [Seyyed Hassan] Rabbani, the representative of the Leadership in the affairs of the Sunnis of the province [Sistan and Baluchestan], offered his welcome and explained. I too encouraged them and promised more assistance.

We went to the base. They had set up a detailed exhibition for fisheries, fish, and shrimp. The managers of Construction Jihad gave explanations. We saw the research on shrimp farming and the readiness for the production of shrimp larvae and feed, and the identification of suitable places along the coasts of the four provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan, and Sistan and Baluchestan at a level of 110 thousand hectares, and the amounts needed for investment and the constructed samples. Mr. [Gholam-Reza] Forouzash, [Minister of Construction Jihad], and I gave short speeches on these matters.

At nine-thirty at night we flew toward Tehran. On the way I slept a little. We had dinner. I reached home at twelve at night. I was very tired. Effat had also returned from the Syria trip; she recounted some things. Mohsen, [Hashemi, Head of the Special Inspection Office of the President], was here and spoke about the problem of several candidates being rejected again.