Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 9, 2003

Mr. Hassan Ansari, the Friday prayer leader of Lordegan, came. He gave a report about the two seminaries in the city, the 200 male and female seminary students, and the poverty of the people, and requested assistance. I donated one million tomans. Mr. Mohammad Masjed-Jamei, the Director of Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, came. He criticized the weakness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, social strictness, and tight restrictions on foreign relations, and sought help to resolve these problems. Messrs. Mahmoud Vaezi, Hossein Sheikh al-Islam, and Ali Jenati (Deputy and experts of the Center for Strategic Research) came. They made remarks about the American threat, internal disputes, nuclear issue problems, and al-Qaeda, and gave some warnings.

In the afternoon, Mr. Mohammad Kazem Bojnourdi, the head of the National Library and the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, came. He gave a report and said that they are also working on the plan to prepare the Encyclopedia of the Geography and History of Iran and the Encyclopedia of Jurisprudence. He criticized the government's sluggishness. He asked me to think of a solution for the foreign policy problems regarding the United States and Israel.

Dr. Hassan Rouhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, came. He said that regarding the nuclear issue, a meeting had been held at the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council based on the Leader's suggestion. The majority of those present believe that we must sign the Additional Protocol 2+93, provided that we first resolve the matter with the United States, but the Leader has some considerations that he plans to raise at the next meeting. He said that in Mohammad ElBaradei's report, six objections have been raised against Iran, but Mr. Gholam Reza Aghazadeh said that there is only one objection, and it concerns the purchase of uranium 12 years ago, which was done without the knowledge of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He asked me to help resolve the matter at tomorrow's meeting.

In Iraq today, four American soldiers were killed and a number were wounded in an operation. The United States has arrested an al-Alam TV reporter. It was announced that about 15 Iraqi people are killed or wounded daily by unexploded bombs. UNICEF has announced that Iraqi child casualties due to malnutrition and environmental pollution have doubled after the war compared to before.

In Pakistan, a bus carrying police cadets was attacked, leaving 12 dead and 8 wounded. The police were Shia individuals, all from the Hazaras of Quetta, Pakistan; it seems the work of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

In the United States, Democrats are putting heavy pressure on George W. Bush's group over fraud in the marketing of the Iraq war, calling him a deceiver and stating that it is more important than the Watergate scandal and has tarnished America's reputation. In Britain, the Foreign Secretary has also admitted to the existence of deception in the marketing of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.