Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - December 31, 2002

I told Zarif, Iran's representative to the UN: We must strive to remain safe from America's mischief and make the most of the opportunity. I emphasized that he should make the Americans understand that in Iran, no entity other than the central establishment has a chance of success.

Full Diary Entry:

[Mr. Sven Aass], the Norwegian Ambassador, came for a farewell visit. I emphasized the importance of cooperation in the oil and gas industries. Mr. [Mohammad Javad] Zarif, Iran's representative to the UN, arrived. He mentioned that at the suggestion of Mr. [Gianni] Picco, [former UN Assistant Secretary-General], and at the request of [Brent] Scowcroft, a retired American General [and National Security Advisor to Bush Sr.] and a former negotiator during the [Lebanon] hostage crisis, he had held a meeting. They are primarily seeking Iran's cooperation regarding the Iraq issue, and he suggested that we should not miss the opportunity to benefit from this success.

[Mr. Zarif] believes that the American tone, which had improved toward Iran in recent months, has recently turned harsh again; particularly regarding the issue of [the death sentence for Mr. Hashem] Aghajari. I said they had likely pinned their hopes on university protests, and now that they have found them to be weak, their tone will moderate. The Americans have been waiting for significant events in Iran.

Mr. Zarif stated that the White House's policy is merely a security and emergency posture to deceive domestic public opinion. I said that regarding Iraq, Iran will benefit in any case; whether America fails or succeeds in toppling Saddam, and whether Iraq is partitioned, becomes federal, or gains a free democratic government, it is to Iran's advantage. We only lose if a puppet dictator for America comes to power, which is nearly impractical under current conditions and would take a long time even if it were to happen. At the same time, we must strive to remain safe from America's mischief and make more use of the opportunity. I emphasized that he should make the Americans understand that in Iran, no entity other than the central establishment has a chance of success.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Mohammad] Sattarifar, head of the Management and Planning Organization, came with his deputies and explained the current year's budget deficit and the difficulties in finalizing next year's budget. They acknowledged that the "Construction Government" (Hashemi era) policies regarding hospital self-governance—combined with full and comprehensive insurance—public model schools, and utilizing university capacities to generate income, were good strategies for reducing government obligations and cutting the current budget.

They mentioned that in the court case regarding the [Ayandeh] Survey Research Institute, which is another pressure point on the Reformist government, Mr. [Ahmad] Bourghani [MP for Tehran] and others are facing trouble. Following the confessions of [Behrouz] Geranpayeh [CEO of the National Institute for Public Opinion Research], Messrs. [Mohsen] Aminzadeh [Deputy Foreign Minister], [Mohsen] Mirdamadi [Chairman of the 6th Parliament's National Security Commission], and others are also somehow implicated.

A fire broke out in the open-prison section of Gorgan Prison, resulting in the deaths of 27 prisoners.

Finally, IAEA inspectors were expelled from North Korea and arrived in Beijing. In response, Japan suspended its negotiations with North Korea and sent two warships to regional waters. China and Russia warned the US that the North Korean issue cannot be solved through force. The new South Korean president, who won on an anti-American platform, said the US must stop its interference and bullying, and that South Korea is not inclined toward conflict with North Korea.

The death toll from the bombing of the Chechen government center has reached 80, and two Russian generals have been kidnapped by guerrillas. The [UN] Security Council has added 60 more items to the list of goods banned for sale to Iraq; the surprise is that Russia, despite being opposed, did not use its veto and only abstained along with Syria.

Arab governments have asked Saddam [Hussein, President of Iraq] to step down to save the Iraqi people. Russia also stated it is ready to grant political asylum to Saddam and his family. Meanwhile, the US, while accelerating its military readiness, has said it has not yet decided on war. This collection of signals points to psychological warfare intended to make Saddam Hussein surrender.

In Pakistan, the US bombed a seminary today linked to the Taliban, which was reportedly empty. In Afghanistan, a group of American soldiers were killed in a suicide attack. The IRNA news agency today broadcasted parts of Syrian textbooks that referred to Khuzestan and the three islands [Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb] as Arab territories occupied by Iran, which will have an unfavorable impact on relations.