Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 25, 2003

127 members of parliament, mostly affiliated with the Second of Khordad movement and the Islamic Iran Participation Front, have written a letter to the Supreme Leader criticizing his policies, including the conduct of the Guardian Council toward parliament and the judiciary’s treatment of the press and political activists. They have also requested that members of the Expediency Council be selected in proportion to the country’s existing political currents. They had previously written letters to the Leader, and on one occasion he responded, but later decided not to answer them anymore. This time, they acted because of the difficulties surrounding the twin bills.

Dr. Mansour Sayyari, head of the Veterinary Organization, visited. He called for greater attention to veterinary affairs and criticized the recent publicity and court cases regarding the importation of spoiled meat. He said a minor issue had been exaggerated and that he himself had been sentenced to three years in prison, which had caused inactivity within the organization. To some extent, he is right. The issue had been politicized.

Mr. Bahman Taherian, who is expected to become Iran’s ambassador to Ukraine, visited. He criticized the Foreign Minister and the state of the Foreign Ministry and requested support for the Iran-140 aircraft project, which is being developed in cooperation with Ukraine, as well as renewed attention to oil and gas cooperation that had begun during the Reconstruction Government but was later neglected. Dr. Jamshid Sabbaghzadeh, head of the Laser Science and Technology Center, also visited. He said the Ministry of Defense had proposed transferring him from the Atomic Energy Organization. He sought advice; I told him to remain where he was and assist them as well. He is the director of the laser project.

In the afternoon, Alexander Downer, Australia’s Foreign Minister, visited. I asked many questions about the situation in Iraq and their plans for the country’s future. He answered frankly, saying they had cooperated with the United States in the war and that they hoped to stabilize Iraq quickly and then leave. I said that was difficult to believe regarding the United States. He said that the administrative leadership of the Ba’ath Party, the army, the police, and the security forces would not be incorporated into Iraq’s new government structure. He added that the Iraqi army would be reorganized only to fulfill defensive responsibilities and nothing more. He also said that he had been in Baghdad the previous day and in the United States before that; Baghdad was insecure, and the United States was concerned about weapons of mass destruction in Iran and Iran’s alleged sheltering of al-Qaeda members. I replied that Iran is inherently opposed to al-Qaeda, does not trust them, and detests weapons of mass destruction. I said the United States was making false accusations and had shown, through its accommodation with the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), that it was not truly opposed to terrorism.

The death toll from the Boumerdès earthquake in Algeria has surpassed 2,000, and people have thrown stones at the convoy carrying the Algerian president.