Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – October 26, 1994

The US President's trip to the Middle East, especially to Syria and Jordan, and the signing of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty are at the top of the news. To prepare for the trip to Turkmenistan, they have put a brief meeting on my agenda.

Governors, district governors, and prosecutors from across the country came to be briefed on the policy of fighting price gouging. I explained the policies to them. Messrs. Al-Eshaq, the Minister of Commerce, and Shushtari, the Minister of Justice, also explained their own executive methods. I finished the tasks by noon.

I told Dr. Hassan Rouhani to have the Supreme National Security Council secretariat examine the students' pretext for objecting to charging tuition for failed courses to repeat them.

At two-thirty in the afternoon we were at the airport and, with a short interview and an official send-off, we flew. At four in the afternoon we reached Ashgabat. There is a one-hour time difference. Dr. Velayati and Aghazadeh and Torkan and Mehdi and Yaser and Hossein were accompanying. They had a warm welcome with a guard of honor and parade and dancing and singing by children and the presence of dignitaries and ambassadors and ministers. We had arrived before the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Accompanied by Mr. Niyazov, we went straight to his office and immediately began a private two-person conversation with one translator from them; as always he began giving private and unofficial and frank news and provided the necessary information:

1- Regarding Azerbaijan, he said the Russians oppose [Heydar] Aliyev's presidency and will remove him and will probably bring Motallebov. He spoke ill of Aliyev somewhat and said the signing of the consortium contract by Russia was without Yeltsin's knowledge and was signed by Chernomyrdin, the Prime Minister, and now he opposes it. In answer to the question of how Turkmenistan itself was able, despite Russia's opinion, to sign a partnership contract regarding the management of the Caspian Sea's oil resources with Iran and the Netherlands, he said this work is a new area of reservoir development and is in operation.

2- Regarding their nine-hundred-million-dollar debt from Ukraine for gas sales, he said several Western governments paid four hundred million dollars of the debt, and the rest should be paid in installments over ten years. He presented a letter in this regard from Mr. Bill Clinton, the US President, and consulted with me; I said it is better than the current situation.

3- Regarding Russia, he said Yeltsin and Chernomyrdin will remain. Tomorrow the parliament will give a vote of confidence—which is what happened. Regarding Yeltsin's and the Russian delegation's non-participation, contrary to the agreement, in their celebrations, he said they are caught up with tomorrow's parliament issue; it is not a proper justification.

4- Messrs. Nazarbayev and Karimov have also not participated. He spoke ill of them as usual and said his main difference with Islam Karimov is over the warmth of Turkmenistan's relations with Iran, and for example, he mentioned the purchase of two hundred minibuses from Iran and the solution of their transportation problem, and said Karimov objected and I answered him, it is both cheaper and of better quality; why should we not buy? And he is also very grateful to us. Two or three days ago, he thanked us in a letter for giving the vehicles.

5- Regarding the management of the Caspian Sea, he said his policy is close to ours and Russia's, and Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have a different view.

6- Regarding the gas pipeline, he emphasized that America and Russia and Kazakhstan agree with passing through Iran, and General Alexander Haig is tomorrow supposed to give the result of the effort to secure the project's money.

7- He quoted Haig as saying that with the help of his friends in the US Congress, he has formed a group that opposes Warren Christopher's, the US Secretary of State's, policy regarding pressure on Iran. He is trying to introduce Haig as a friend of Iran.

8- He praised his own national popularity greatly in the people's satisfaction and their progress; while criticizing the policies of the other newly established republics of the former Soviet Union.

9- Regarding the Karabakh war, he said as long as the government does not surrender to Russia and Azerbaijan, the Russians will not let the war end. He justified the invitation of Abdolrashid Dostum and Ismail Khan from Afghanistan and said he will not bring them in the place of presidents. I too confirmed him.

I went to the residence; one of several hotels out of twelve hotels they have recently built. The hotels are small. Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and her companions came. They were happy about the cancellation of my trip to India and spoke about the outbreak of malaria in India after the plague, but they suggested that in my next trip I try to resolve the India-Pakistan dispute. They consulted about raising the Kashmir issue in the United Nations. I said if they have few votes as before, they should not raise it. She herself has such an opinion but fears the opposing atmosphere. It was arranged that the two foreign ministers would examine it.

She requested that we allow Faezeh to travel to Pakistan for the issue of women's sports. There was talk about the gas pipeline. It was arranged to expedite the examination of the route; they are very needy. There was talk about ECO and the [summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in] Morocco. She said they too have not yet decided about the level of the delegation.

At night I ate dinner alone in my room. I watched the television program; almost all the time was related to the arrival of the guests of the celebration. Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan—they broadcast all of them completely; except Azerbaijan, which shows disregard.