Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 9, 2003

In some newspapers, the dispute between Mr. Majid Ansari and some representatives of the opposing faction at yesterday's Assembly of Experts meeting, over the Qom Seminary and the claim of a "government within a government," has been magnified and has angered most Assembly members. They believe that Mr. Ansari, in collusion with the 2nd of Khordad newspapers, carries out such plans, and my remarks to Mr. Ansari regarding the incorrectness of the "government within a government" claim have also been blown out of proportion, leading a number of speakers to protest Mr. Ansari's conduct in today's session.

The Assembly of Experts held sessions in the morning and evening, and finally, we read the statement and the letter of Mr. Naser Makarem Shirazi to the Majlis in the presence of journalists.

At the International Atomic Energy Agency, discussions regarding Iran continued, and Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's representative, threatened that if unnecessary pressure was applied, the result could be counterproductive and the Agency might be deprived of Iran's cooperation. South Africa submitted a draft resolution calling on Iran to expedite its acceptance of the Additional Protocol and to make its nuclear programs transparent. The US is also seeking to pass such a resolution.

Mr. Abd al-Rahman al-Najdi, in a statement read on Al-Arabiya TV, introduced himself as the new spokesperson for Al-Qaeda. On behalf of Osama bin Laden, he condemned the martyrdom of Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqer Hakim, stating that this crime was the work of America. He said that Al-Qaeda does not carry out bombings in mosques and holy places and threatened that they would carry out an operation in America larger than 9/11. He also threatened Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan. He claimed that in the recent operation in southern Afghanistan, 27 Americans were killed, and two American military personnel were captured, one of whom is a senior officer.

The UK's High Court today gave Argentina three days to present its documents regarding Hadi Soleimanpour's involvement in the bombing of the Jewish center in Buenos Aires, or else Soleimanpour will be released.

The budget deficits of France and Germany, exceeding the EU's set limits, have caused problems for them. The Arab League, in its summit, agreed to assign Iraq's seat to the representative of the Iraqi Governing Council.

A court in the United States has ordered Iran to pay $130 million in damages to the survivors of a terrorist operation.