Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – March 20, 1999

I was at home all day. We had good rain last night and today. The time was spent studying and arranging the library, relaxing, exercising, and walking in the yard. Faeza and her children, who were supposed to go to Mecca today, gave up. Considering the pessimism of people seeing them on the trip, Faiza did not want to go, and with the insistence of [her children] Hassan and Mona, she had agreed to go. Mona was obliged and wanted to go to fulfill her duty.

Fati and his companions stayed in Kuwait waiting for the Saudi visa. Mehdi said, today they got a visa; They will leave tonight or tomorrow. It seems that their delay was due to the ambassador's indulgence, and the Saudi embassy, ​​as soon as they were informed of their presence in Kuwait, announced that they were ready to issue visas.

In the afternoon, Maryam and Ferishte, [the wives of Yasir and Mahdi], brought food: fish rice. I gave an Eid to Rajab Mashhad and Shirin Khanum. In the foreign news, the failure of the Kosovo talks with the stubbornness of Serbia is noted, the NATO threat to attack has become more serious and the members of the western embassies have started to evacuate Belgrade, [the capital of Serbia].

For two or three days, nearly 20,000 Iraqis had gathered at the border of Saudi Arabia for Hajj. Because the United Nations is supposed to pay the travel expenses from the place where Iraqi oil is sold, and the Iraqi government says that it should be given by the government and the United Nations wants to give directly to the people, a problem was encountered. Finally, King Fahd, the king of Saudi Arabia, paid for their trip and they entered Saudi Arabia today.

In the foreign media's analysis of the situation of the current year on the occasion of the end of the year, there is a lot of support for Mr. [Syed Mohammad] Khatami's government and attacks on the leadership and, as they say, the conservatives. Thanks to God, this moment of writing the memories of 1377 was completed.