Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - November 22, 2000 - Hashemi's Account of the Organization of Islamic Conference and President Khatami's Remarks

Hashemi's account of the Organization of Islamic Conference and President Khatami's remarks.

Full Entry of the Day:

I spent the day at home during the mid-Sha'ban holiday. In the evening and at night, several relatives came over to celebrate the holiday.

The Organization of Islamic Conference officially commenced its meeting today in Doha, Qatar, with the presence of leaders. Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami handed over the presidency to the Emir of Qatar. The speakers addressed the issue of Palestine very firmly. Mr. Khatami reiterated the matter of the return of refugees and the referendum that I had proposed years ago, and which the leadership brought up a few days ago. He presented it in four points, and the Israelis interpreted this as leading to the destruction of Israel. This is indeed the case, as if the Palestinians return, they will become the majority, leading to an Arab and Islamic government. Prince Abdullah, [the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia], also spoke sharply, stating that if any country moves its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Arabs and Muslims should sever ties with that country, implicitly referring to the United States. [Yasser] Arafat, [the President of the Palestinian Authority], also stated that the intifada continues. Clashes have persisted, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of many Palestinians, similar to previous days.

In Austria, a train caught fire in a tunnel, resulting in the deaths of 172 people. The hijacked Russian airplane has been taken to Israel, and a 3,000-ton Russian ship has sunk three miles off the coast of Anzali in the Caspian Sea. The U.S. elections are at an impasse, with new issues arising daily, leading to ridicule of the United States by the world for its claims.