Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - June 29, 2000 - Postponement of the UK Foreign Minister's Visit to Iran for the Second Time

Studying the UN Secretary-General's proposals for the Third Millennium Summit

Postponement of the UK Foreign Minister's Visit to Iran for the Second Time

"Audio Tapes and Newspapers" as the main focus of newspaper reports

I was at the Kooshk office. Most of the time was spent reading bulletins, reports, and the proposals by [Kofi Annan], the UN Secretary-General, for the Third Millennium Summit, about the state of the world and the challenges faced, as well as reviewing a book by an Iranian woman residing in the U.S., named Shahla Haeri, on temporary marriage.

Mohammad Taqi and his son Abbas, farmers from Bahrman [Rafsanjan], came and discussed the situation. The people, thanks to the flourishing pistachio industry, are living well. They also shared their experiences from a trip to Karbala. The father is a martyr. He mentioned that in Karbala, during Iran's elections, he was upset by the things he heard about me and prayed. He said, "After praying, I had a dream where I saw you flying on a litter in the sky, with people cheering, while some on the side were cursing, and I felt at peace." He continued that the general public is upset with the slanders and defamations of the opposition and understands the truth. [Hassan] Shafti, our ambassador to Spain, said the same thing yesterday. Usually, people meeting with me these days share similar sentiments, which is why I don't record these repetitive comments in my daily memoirs.

The postponement of the visit by [Robin Cook], the UK Foreign Minister, to Iran—for the second time—has sparked speculation and conflicting statements in both Iran and the UK. In Iran, it was announced that the delay was due to [Kamal Kharrazi], the Iranian Foreign Minister's, busy schedule, while in the UK, they said it was due to the opposition of a large number of British MPs to the policy of rapprochement with Iran.

Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban child, after seven months of political disputes and entertaining games in the U.S., was returned to Cuba, with the Cubans claiming victory. In Zimbabwe, despite significant efforts by Western powers, Robert Mugabe's party once again won the elections. In Syria, Bashar al-Assad has been nominated as the sole candidate for the presidency. In the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, the civil war between Muslims and Christians continues. In Russia, an end to the Chechen war has been declared. The internal media continues to focus on disputes over audio tapes and the press.