Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – November 14, 1997

I was at home and most of the time was spent reading the memoirs of 1361 to prepare for printing. In the news, the return of the European Union Council, after months of crisis, is of interest. The leadership ordered that the German ambassador should come to the table after all, and the Europeans did not accept this discrimination. Finally, it was agreed that the French ambassador would accompany the German ambassador and the rest of the delegation would come a week earlier. The Europeans interpret this agreement as Iran's withdrawal, and we, on the contrary, interpret it as Europe's surrender, and agree to the delay in the arrival of the French ambassador to France's cooperation with the United States in the South Pars gas issue.

The issue of Iraq and America is getting closer to crisis. American inspectors have been expelled from Iraq and others have gone to Iraq as a protest. America threatens military action and prepares preparations. The British aircraft carrier has moved to the region in support of America and oil has started to become more expensive.

We have been having rain for two or three days in most parts of the country, which is a source of joy after the last drought. At noon, the children were gathered. I suggested to Fati that he should do a research on the history of the struggle for women's rights for the newspaper (Zan). It turned out that Fati's master's thesis was about the same topic.

I gave an Eid to the children and guards; One thousand tomans each. Other relatives came in the evening. Mahmoud Agha Hashemi said about the severe stagnation in Rafsanjan due to the freezing of the pistachio crop and Europe's action to ban the import of pistachios.