Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - April 17, 2002

Rouhani said that the Supreme [National Security] Council approved a group responsible for controlling and directing the discussions related to negotiations with the United States so that all these contradictory statements do not occur. Mr. Rouhani said that during Mr. [Kamal] Kharrazi's visit to Russia, Putin told him that regarding the Caspian Sea, Iran has no right other than the south of the Astara-Hossein Gholi line, and also said that although we intend to cooperate with Iran in any way, it should not be at the cost of destroying Russia's relations with others, which seems to be a reference to the American pressure on the issue of the Bushehr power plant. It should prevent the presence of the United States in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Full text of the diary:

We had a meeting with the deputies of the Center for Strategic Research [Expediency Council]. They discussed the cooperation strategies of the Research Center and the Secretariat of the Expediency Council, as well as the issues of Palestine and Lebanon. Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani, [secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and head of the Center for Strategic Research], said, "Based on my proposal, a plan for the participation of all the Palestinian people abroad and inside the country, which is about nine million people, and the Jews in Israel, in order to [determine] the fate of Palestine, has been discussed under the supervision of the United Nations in the Supreme National Security Council, and it has been agreed in principle, and a plan is to be prepared and presented to the Supreme Leader."

He said that the Supreme [National Security] Council approved that a group would be responsible for controlling and directing the discussions related to the negotiations with the United States, so that all these contradictory statements would not occur. In that group, there is no representative from the parliament, and for this reason, the parliamentarians have put pressure on the foreign minister as to why they are not there.

Mr. Rouhani said that during the visit of [Foreign Minister] Kharrazi to Russia, [Russian President] [Vladimir] Putin told him that regarding the Caspian Sea, Iran has no right other than the south of the Astara-Hossein Gholi line, and also said that although we intend to cooperate with Iran in all ways, it should not be at the cost of destroying Russia's relations with others, which seems to be a reference to the American pressure on the issue of the Bushehr power plant. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivan Ovov has said that with the money and power that the United States has, Russia cannot prevent the American presence in Central Asia and the Caucasus.  

In the evening, the officials of Neyshabur came to invite the congress to commemorate the two thousand martyrs of Neyshabur and gave a report on the situation of the city and the 21st Armored Brigade.

Clashes continue in occupied Palestine. [U.S. Secretary of State Colin] Powell met with [Yasser] Arafat for the second time. [Ariel] Sharon, [Israeli Prime Minister], has proposed an international conference, which the Palestinians have called a waste of time. It seems that Powell did not draw any conclusions from a long trip to the region. The United States is isolated in the world's public opinion and can only do anything with force and money. Demonstrations in favor of the Palestinians in Iran and many other countries around the world continue on a large scale.