Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 29, 2003

The Sistani community living in the center came.  They mentioned the problems of Zabul and complained about the stagnancy of the construction projects started in the government there.   such as the drainage of agricultural lands and the well of the third half, etc., and they asked me to help them.  I told them to provide a solution.  They asked to travel to Zabul. 

Mr. [Mohammed Reza] Rahmat, the head of Tankabon seminary, came with a group of students, [Mrs. Mehdi Hedayati, Ali Moalemi, Mehdi Abbaspour, Ibrahim Shams, Mohammad Hossein Shams and Ali Akbar Sabzian,] came.  The program for the establishment of the "Khams" seminar and requested its opening.  I said, don't rush and try to have your hands full scientifically. 

Mr. Dr. [Alireza] Bahrampour, [CEO of Telecommunication Company], Hamed Marashi, [Abdul Mahdi] Ansari, Governor of Rafsanjan and [Mohammed Ali] Dehghan, President of Wali Asr University of Rafsanjan, came.  Mr. Bahrampour reported on the development of fiber optics and the cheapening of telecommunication switches.  Mr. Ansari said about the problems of Rafsanjan pistachio producers and exporters cooperative company that they cannot fulfill their commitment and pay the fourth installment and buy pistachios for next year and they need a loan of 200 billion tomans.  Mr. Dehghan gave a report on the small movement of a group of students and complained about the attacks of Ashikh Mohammad Hashemian, [Imam Juma Rafsanjan] during the Friday prayer on him and the students and the university and said that their movement was insignificant and they did not deserve all those attacks and they regretted it. 

Mr. [Mortaza] Alviri, [former mayor of Tehran] came in the evening.  He has become Iran's ambassador to Spain. He said that Mr. [Ebrahim] Asgharzadeh, [former member of Tehran City Council] was acquitted of the charges against him in the court. He criticized the political, social and economic situation of the country and said that Ayatollah Montazeri is complaining about the closure of his website.  Relations with Spain were discussed.  

Controversies continue over the collective imprisonment of students and the collective hunger strike of students in Isfahan University and the sit-in of four representatives in the parliament. 

In Iraq, two Americans were wounded and one person was killed, and Iraqi soldiers surrounded the headquarters of the British soldiers in Basra and protested against not receiving their salaries.  The bodies of two kidnapped Americans were found in Baghdad.

In Afghanistan, the headquarters of the US military in Kandahar, which is the former headquarters of Mullah Omar, [the leader of the Taliban], was blown up, but nothing has been said about its casualties and the cease-fire debate is hot in Palestine.