Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani - January 25, 2003

I went to Amirkabir University of Technology to inaugurate the Aerospace Conference. Professors, researchers, and officials from the Ministry of Roads [and Transportation], the [Civil] Aviation [Organization], and aircraft and helicopter manufacturing industries were present. [Mr. Hossein Hosseini], the Dean of the Faculty [of Aerospace Engineering], and [Mr. Homayoun Sadr], the conference secretary, offered a welcome and presented a report; 570 papers have been submitted. I delivered detailed remarks on the importance of the aerospace industry, the programs of the Reconstruction Era, and the "Iran 1400" plan, emphasizing the use of the private sector, cooperation between university and industry, and greater attention to aircraft manufacturing and satellites.

My brother Mohammad, [Chairman of the Central Council of the Executives of Construction Party], came by. He said he has a meeting with the Leader and consulted regarding raising the issues of the Executives Party.

Dr. [Ali Akbar] Velayati, [the Leader's Advisor for International Affairs], came. We spoke about enrichment and heavy water projects and the possibilities of future events in Iraq. He brought the book [Resaleh Dokhaniyeh] by the late Hakim Hidaji, written about the Tobacco [Protest] issues and Mirza Shirazi's fatwa, aiming to clear doubts about the role of the clergy in this significant event. He has prepared the book for publication.

In the afternoon, I had an interview with Messrs. [Abbas] Salimi Namin, [Director of the Office for Iranian History Studies and Compilation], Khalili, and Siadati regarding the establishment of the Islamic Republican Party, which remained unfinished.

Israel continues to martyr, wound, and detain a number of Palestinians daily, and Palestinians occasionally retaliate with martyrdom operations; including yesterday, when they killed three Israeli soldiers and destroyed an armored vehicle. In a meeting of twelve Palestinian groups in Cairo, they emphasized the continuation of the Intifada.

122 Democratic representatives of the U.S. [Congress] asked [George W.] Bush, [the President], not to rush the attack on Iraq and to allow time for the UN [weapons] inspectors to finish their work. Today in Afghanistan, several armed attacks were carried out against U.S. troops.

In the U.S., two planes collided, leaving several dead and injured. In Italy, the UK, and Spain, dozens were detained on charges of Al-Qaeda membership. In Kenya, a plane crash killed the Minister of Roads and two pilots. (January 25, 2003)