Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 22, 2003
Mr. Aghazadeh sought assistance in resolving the problems at a meeting scheduled for this evening in the presence of the Supreme Leader. He said that the Agency [IAEA] accepts that the machines used for enriching uranium are contaminated with enriched uranium.
Welfare officials came. Mr. Mohammad Reza Rahchamani, the head of the Welfare Organization, gave a report on their activities. A group of deaf teenagers also performed two songs. I also spoke about the value of serving the helpless and needy.
Mr. Gholamreza Aghazadeh, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, came. He sought assistance in resolving problems at a meeting scheduled for this evening in the presence of the Supreme Leader. He said that the Agency accepts that the contamination of the enrichment centrifuges with enriched uranium could be related to their use in the country of origin, and with this reasoning, the contamination of the Rasht site and possibly Karaj can also be justified. He requested that explicit permission for negotiations be given in today's evening meeting.
In the evening, we had a meeting in the presence of the Supreme Leader. After much discussion, it was decided that negotiations for accepting the Additional Protocol should begin, and permission for sampling from the Rasht site should be given, and appropriate propaganda should be conducted in response to Western ambiguities or accusations.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has suffered several killed and wounded in numerous operations, and Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, who has gone to the U.S., has criticized Iran's interference in Iraqi affairs. Anti-occupation and anti-Governing Council demonstrations continue, and the U.S. has denied taking action to besiege Muqtada al-Sadr's home.
In Liberia, a large number of people have been killed in the exchange of fire between the two sides, and angry people have gathered dozens of bodies in front of the U.S. embassy in Monrovia, complaining about the delay in the intervention of U.S. forces that were supposed to go to Liberia for peace. The U.S. has said it is sending 4,500 troops from the Red Sea to the region, which will arrive in two weeks.
In Australia, it has been claimed that all visible stars have been counted, which is more than the number of desert sands. For the first time, the tongue of a human being with cancer has been surgically removed and replaced. In China, people are gradually turning to Muslim foods, which are healthier and more delicate, especially since the start of SARS.
An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale in southwestern China killed 15 people and injured many. Drought has caused great damage to European agriculture, and the water level in many rivers has dropped, causing a sharp decline in hydroelectric power generation.
In parliament today, as in the previous session, there was a dispute between the two factions over the death of Zahra Kazemi.
