Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani – April 15, 2003

The White House has officially threatened Syria, and the Arab League, Germany, France, and Russia have asked America to stop the threat.  Today at dawn, American planes bombed parts of Baghdad and it was not clear why?  Three American soldiers were killed and three others were injured in two attacks by unknown people.  In Mosul, American soldiers killed 10 people and injured 100 people.  The intensity of insecurity has decreased.

At Nasiriyah air base, the Americans organized a meeting of Iraqi opposition groups to discuss the future of Iraq.  The Supreme Assembly and Hizb al-Dawa did not participate in it, and [Ahmed] Chalabi, [Secretary General of the Iraqi National Congress] and [Jalal] Talabani, [Leader of the Patriotic Union of Iraqi Kurdistan Party] also participated at the level of sending representatives.  At the same time, thousands of people demonstrated in Nasiriyah with the slogan "No Saddam, no Bush".  In Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf, there were popular demonstrations against the military occupation of Iraq and demanding an Islamic popular government.  Life problems, deficiencies, insecurities, and tragic events are gradually increasing the pressure of the people on America, and it is not clear how it wants to get rid of these problems. 

Mr. [Mohsen] Kangerlo, [security adviser to Mirhossein Mousavi, Prime Minister] came and brought some documents and correspondence that he had with [Manochehr] Qurbanifar, [arms dealer] regarding the issue of [Robert] McFarlane, [national security adviser of the Reagan administration].  

[Mehrnaz Azad, Mozhgan Alinejadfard and Negar Naseeri], three women from Isfahan Young Poets Association came and asked for help by explaining their plans.  Mr. [Abdul Ali] Ali Asgari, [President of the Western Studies Foundation] came with questions and analysis of the situation in the region after the collapse of the Iraqi regime.  He made suggestions about regional integration and strengthening national power.  He said about the passivity of the participants with the publication of my last interview [with the magazine Strategy about the relationship with America] and its distortion [to a public poll] and subsequent explanations.

In the evening, Mr. [Ahmed] Daniyali, the head of presidential ceremonies, came to say goodbye;  He has been appointed as Iran's ambassador to Denmark.  He said some things about the disorder of the presidential institution.  Hossein Marashi, [the representative of Kerman] came.  He wanted me to be more present in these critical situations to save the country in basic issues and to ask Sardar [Qassem] Soleimani, [commander of the Quds Force], to be more careful and careful about Iraq.  It is possible that America will soon give a warning to Iran about the Badr Corps and the Majlis Ala.  Mr. Mohsen Hashemian [from Rafsanjan Pistachio Producers and Exporters Cooperative] came and applied for a loan from the government for the pistachio cooperative.