Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 17, 2003

[Mr. Sheikh Mohammad Khalid Mubarak Al-Sabah], the Minister of Kuwait came.  The negotiations were friendly and ceremonial.  He said that they have opened a 400-bed hospital for the people of Basra and are sending medical and food aid to the people of Iraq, and so far they have found the bodies of some of their missing people during the occupation of Kuwait, along with the documents of two Iranian martyrs. 

Mr. [Abdul Hossein] Wahaji, [Deputy Minister of Commerce] came.  He criticized the economic and commercial policies of the government.

Mr. [Hossein] Mahluji, [Executive Vice President of Strategic Research Center] came.  He asked me to coordinate in the country.  Mr. Dr. [Abdullah] Jasbi, [President of Islamic Azad University] said on the phone about the calm prevailing in Islamic Azad Universities;  Against the unrest of public universities, with all the subsidies they give to students. 

Mr. Behzad Nabavi, [Vice Speaker of the Parliament] came.  He said that the Guardian Council, which had shown some coordination on two bills in the first meeting of the commission, but retracted it in the second meeting.  He asked me to help;  Either in the assembly [diagnosing the expediency of the system] or in negotiations with the leadership.  I said, it is impossible for the leadership to accept the opinion of the parliament.  He wanted to act with caution in front of America so as not to cause problems.  He said that he has defended [Mr. Masoud Mezikian], the Minister of Health, whose impeachment was discussed in the parliament today.  He accepted that the second Khordadis have less influence in the people and they do not have a share in the course of the universities.  He demanded a new plan to be close to the people. 

Today, at the meeting of the Council of Governors of the Nuclear Agency, the non-aligned supported Iran and dissuaded America from proposing a resolution against Iran.  The United States threatened the Belgian government to remove the NATO headquarters from Brussels because of its court action against the United States.  The Belgian foreign minister defended himself, but the court backed down. 

In Iraq, several operations have been carried out against the Americans and several demonstrations and a group of members of the Badr Corps have been arrested by the United States.  America sent a research ship to Mars the other day.  In Mecca, clashes between police and guerrillas left 10 dead on both sides.  Students' movements have greatly decreased and some of them have been arrested.  The EU foreign ministers asked Iran to accept the [Additional Protocol] 93+2 unconditionally.  France arrested 165 members of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization today with the verdict of the terrorism judge.  Including Maryam Qajar, the wife of [Massoud] Rajavi.