Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 18, 2003

The members [of the board of directors] of the cooperative chamber came.  Mr. [Abul Qasim] Sarhadizadeh, [Chairman of the Board of Directors], [Mohammed Reza] Ramezani, [Secretary General of the Central Cooperation Chamber], [Hadi] Ghonimifard, [Board Member], Ghanbari, [Board Member] and... spoke.  Considering that the general policy of cooperatives is under consideration in the [Determining the Expediency of the Nizam] Assembly, they have requested to strengthen cooperatives. I said that cooperatives are not on their original path. When I was in the Ministry of State [in 1358], cooperatives were established and much attention was paid to them in the constitution, but in practice they are less efficient than the private sector.  If this situation continues, they will become weaker in the future;  Because productivity is one of the important factors of capital attraction and besides, many cooperatives are not on the main path.
Mr. [Mohsen] Kangerlu, [Prime Minister's Security Adviser] came.  He brought the rest of the documents related to the McFarlane affair.  He wants to return to the Ministry of Oil;  Because nothing is referred to him in the president's office.  Mr. [Shaaban] Shahidi [Moedeb], our ambassador in Indonesia, came.  He talked about the situation there and the state of relations and the problems they have in the Aceh region [located in the north of Sumatra island].  On the evening of [Mr. Youssef Jafari's] wedding, I arrested one of the bodyguards.
Mr. [Abbas] Maleki, [the head of the Caspian Sea Studies Institute] came. He said, [his uncle] Ayatollah [Mohammed] Fadel [Lankarani], [from Taqlid sources] has some material that he wants to share with you directly. I said, if they come to Tehran or I go to Qom, we will meet.  He asked me to participate in the seminar they are holding in Ramsar for the Caspian and expressed his concern about the danger of America.
Professor Monsef Ghitoni came from Canada.  He is a Muslim of Tunisian origin and the head of the [International] Federation of Education, Parents and Students Associations. He said, more than 50 countries are members and they want Iran to be their center of Asia and I am its honorary president.  He explained some points of work.  I did not accept the presidency, but I welcomed its presence in Iran.
[Paul] Bremer, the [executive head of the interim coalition government] in Iraq has announced that the US has other priorities and cannot establish an interim government from the Iraqis themselves at the moment, which has upset the opposition leaders.  A bomb explosion in Baghdad has killed and wounded a number of Americans.  Mr. Moqtadi Sadr has said, Mr. [Syed Mohammad Baqir] Hakim is not at the level of leadership and chairmanship, and he himself has more competence.
Last night [Mahmoud Abbas] Abu Mazen, [Prime Minister of the Autonomous Government] had a meeting with [Ariel] Sharon, [Prime Minister of Israel] in Jerusalem, and a few hours later, seven Israelis were killed and 40 people were injured in two martyrdom operations.  Because of that, Sharon has delayed his trip to America and there is talk of [Yasser] Arafat's exile. 
Tahkeem Vahdat Office has held a referendum in several universities in a show, regarding the constitution in three phases, the first draft, the first four experts' approvals, the second three experts' approvals and has said that they have voted for a draft that does not have velayat-e-faqih and the Basij parties are involved with them.