Memories of Akbar Hashemi - June 2, 2002

Faezeh reported at an international conference on women and sports in Canada that a proposal was made during the meeting to suspend Israel's sports team membership as punishment for its injustices in Palestine, which was accepted. About 100 members of [Hashemollah] Tabarzadi's group demonstrated in Vanak Square and 11 of them were arrested.

Complete text of the daily report:

I was working at home and in the office. Faiza came. She reported on the international conference on women and sports in Montreal, Canada, and said that at the meeting, she had proposed that Israel be sanctioned by suspending its sports team membership due to its atrocities in Palestine, which was accepted and mentioned in the final resolution of the conference. From the municipality of District 16 [Tehran], she had brought a proposal to hold a seminar to introduce the achievements of the development period; I did not accept it.

The large demonstrations of the people in Berlin and other cities in Germany against the presence of the U.S. President in Europe have caught the attention of political circles around the world. The physical confrontations between the German police and the public have made the issue more sensitive. The U.S. President, in an effort to label Iran and six other countries as sponsors of terrorism, stated today at the end of his stay in Berlin and on the eve of his trip to Russia that Iran's missile industry and the future of its nuclear industry are dangerous. He will ask Russia to terminate its cooperation with Iran in these two industries. [Igor Ivanov], the Russian Foreign Minister, has immediately responded to Bush's remarks.

Last night, a Palestinian carried out a suicide attack in northern Tel Aviv, killing four Israelis and injuring 40 others. A fuel tanker was also detonated remotely in the central fuel depot in Tel Aviv, but it did not cause significant damage to the fuel storage. Israel has also killed a number of people in the West Bank.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated, and [Atal Bihari Vajpayee], the Prime Minister of India, is openly talking about war. England has asked its citizens not to stay in Pakistan except for urgent work. In Kyrgyzstan, following several days of public protests against the government and condemning the ceding of part of their territory to China, the Prime Minister has been dismissed and cabinet members have also resigned. Heydar Aliyev, [the President of Azerbaijan], announced upon his return from Iran that there will be no operational actions in the Caspian Sea oil field of Alborz for now.

This afternoon, around 100 members of the [Hashemollah] Tabarzi group demonstrated in Vank Square [Tehran], and 11 of them were arrested.