Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani – April 20, 2003

[Mr. Wale Christian Holte], the new ambassador of Norway, came and talked about strengthening cooperation.  I also expressed my satisfaction with the start of cooperation between the two countries in the field of oil and gas.  There was not much talk about the issues in between.  We talked more about the occupation of Iraq.  I expressed satisfaction with the position of the European Union and Norway itself and emphasized that the most urgent task is to establish a people's government and fill the management vacuum. 
Dr. [Majid] Abbaspour, [Technical Advisor to the President] came.  He had some information about his case and the weakness of the president's advisory group.  He does not travel abroad due to being recognized in the responsibility of special industries;  Although he is invited to seminars.  Mr. [Masoud] Safiri, [journalist] came.  He criticized IRNA news agency and wants to work in Metro [company]. 
In the evening, Mr. [Mohammed] Emamikashani, [Ismail] Ferdosipour, [Asadollah] Badamchian [and the members of the headquarters for the ceremony of the 7th of Tir martyrs] came.  They talked about the central office of the [Islamic] Republican Party and the seventy-two-ton massacre site, which is part of the endowments of Shahid Motahari School.  It was decided to give it to an expert for 99 years.  We discussed the situation in Iraq.
The British forces, who are in control of Basra, say that they have arrested a group of 57 people who went to the basement of the bank in Basra to steal the property of the central bank.  The American forces stationed in Baghdad also say that they have discovered 700 million dollars that the leaders of the regime had hidden. 
Today in Mosul, there was conflict and killing.  In Najaf and Karbala, the attackers by increasing their force and creating terror, by breaking the sound wall in the city space, have tried to prevent the possible incidents of an unprecedented large gathering of people in Arbaeen. 
America asked Syria to hand over 15 Iraqi Ba'athist leaders it has sheltered to America.  [Colin Powell], the US Secretary of State, said that if Syria continues to support Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Palestinian [Islamic] Jihad [Organization], it will be subject to sanctions.  The US Congress is preparing to approve a plan to sanction Syria.  The dispute between Yasir Arafat and Abu Mazen [= Mahmoud Abbas], the Prime Minister over the post of the Ministry of the Interior has become serious and Abu Mazen has threatened to resign.  Israel attacked Fallujah [displaced persons camp] with 50 tanks and personnel carriers and killed and injured many people.