Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 6, 1982

We had an open session. The review and approval of the Water Bill were not completed. In my pre-agenda speech, I spoke about the bombings of Ilam and southern Lebanon and the connection between them. In the afternoon, I had several meetings. Mr. [Seyyed Mehdi] Hashemi from the IRGC Liberation Movements Division came and suggested that I deliver a speech at the seminar for representatives of liberation movements who had come to Iran on the occasion of the World Day of the Oppressed. I declined, as I did not consider it advisable for an official figure—such as the Speaker of Parliament—to speak at a gathering of serious opponents of world governments.

In the afternoon, the party's Central Council held a meeting. The news of the Israeli attack on southern Lebanon by land, sea, and air, their occupation of centers in the south, and threats against the cities of Tyre and Sidon took up a significant portion of the meeting's time. The main discussion concerned the Hojjatieh Society and defining a clear party stance against it, which remained unfinished.

Afterward, I attended the consultative meeting of the heads of the three branches of government. On behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference mediation delegation, the Foreign Minister of Guinea brought a letter from Mr. [Ahmed] Sékou Touré. He requested that the President travel to Mecca, and it became clear that they had extended the same invitation to Saddam. We were expecting a constructive proposal, so this offer was contrary to our expectations. We expressed our opposition, and it was decided that Mr. Khamenei write a reply.

We discussed providing assistance to the Palestinians and Lebanese and decided to dispatch the Minister of Defense. We also consulted on numerous other matters. I went to Parliament to sleep.