Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - April 11, 2002

In the house and office of the palace of the history of the time of Shah Abbas, the plan of the Qom Seminary to implement the proposal of the Jameh University and the plan of the Deputy of Supervision of the Assembly [Expediency of the System], for the executive strategies of supervising the implementation of general policies, amending the text of the draft of my memoirs – from mid-1978 to the beginning of 1981 – and reading Jawahir al-Kalam and newspapers filled my time.

Full text of the diary:

I worked in the home and office of Kooshk [located on the street on the western edge of the Saadabad complex]. It is also raining well. It started last night in many parts of the country. The history of the time of Shah Abbas, the plan of the Qom Seminary to implement the proposal of the Jameh University, and the plan of the Deputy of Supervision of the Assembly [Expediency Discernment], for executive strategies for supervising the implementation of general policies, amending the text of the draft of my memoirs – from mid-1978 to the beginning of 1981 – and reading Jawahir al-Kalam and newspapers, filled my time.

Despite the fact that Israel has begun to withdraw from the occupied cities, it has occupied several new locations today and continues its attacks. It seems that its purpose is to put pressure on the refugee camps, because most of the serious mujahedeen are from these centers, and the United States, which sees that its apparent order to Israel to withdraw is not being implemented, has said that it does not have the basis for forcing Israel.  

A quadrilateral statement signed by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations called on Israel to immediately withdraw from the occupied cities, which Israel does not care about. It seems that behind the scenes, they have understandings with Israel, otherwise the United Nations, the United States, and Europe would have taken practical steps to force it.

Hezbollah's clashes with Israel in the north have frightened Israelis and Americans and made great efforts to calm the Lebanese-Israeli borders. The U.S. has told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through Dick Cheney that Israel sees Hezbollah's actions through the eyes of Syria and will take revenge on Syria if it continues. Syria is apparently frightened and is busy moving its forces in Lebanon to the east. The Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar also attacked Hezbollah today for seeing the Shebaa lands as its own property and wanting to buy a danger for Lebanon.

The Council of Europe has also issued a resolution calling on European countries to take practical steps to force Israel to retreat. The United Nations Labor Organization has called Israel's actions in the Jenin refugee camp a major disaster, and many of the world's personalities and media have called Israel's atrocities unforgivable crimes, and popular demonstrations continue in favor of the Palestinians in most parts of the world, and in some Arab countries, they are taking place in the form of violent clashes.  
In Alexandria, Egypt, a student has been killed. A large number of people and police have been injured. In Jordan, the conflict is fierce and the Jordanian government considers it a conspiracy and a danger.

 In Bahrain, clashes around the U.S. embassy have become routine. In American universities, students are also demonstrating against Israel's war. Most of Europe's major cities are witnessing demonstrations on a daily basis. The harrowing images of the scenes of Israeli crimes have hurt the world public and created a lot of hatred towards the United States, and the United States has understood this, and [U.S. Secretary of State] Powell's visit to the region is a kind of balm.  

Today Powell was in Jordan and witnessed violent demonstrations and public anger. The United States is afraid of the possibility of the oil embargo becoming serious, and [George] Bush has openly expressed concern about this issue and the fate of the Western-leaning and Arab governments.  

In Afghanistan, a British soldier in Kabul died of a bullet that hit him in the brain. A U.S. helicopter has been shot down, injuring a number of people, and fighting over poppy fields and local powers is killing people on a daily basis, and the interim government, with the interim administration, has expressed its dissatisfaction with the failure to fulfill its promises of financial assistance and has warned that the situation will become dangerous and return to the previous situation. A statement in the name of Mullah Omar [Taliban leader] and bin Laden, [leader of al-Qaeda], was broadcast on Al Jazeera television. The United States is gradually realizing what a dangerous place it has entered.  

In Tunisia, a car carrying gas exploded next to the synagogue, killing five people and injuring a number of others, and it must be counted on the Palestinians. In Bosnia, the name "Ramallah" has been added to the name "Sarajevo"; both cities are beautiful and damaged.  

There has been a lot of negative propaganda in the Western media against the churches because of the accusations of sexual deviance by priests, and the Pope has been put on the defensive. Vatican leaders have held a meeting in Rome to curb the sexual deviance of priests.

In an interview, [Oil Minister] Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that if the second country after Iraq stops exporting oil, Iran will be the third country that created a lot of panic and was forced to amend its words and say, on the condition that all OPEC member countries agree, which has been ridiculed.