Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - September 14, 2000 - Hashemi's Threat to Activate the Leadership Assembly in National and Government Affairs and Political Reactions to It

Hashemi's remarks today directed at Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and Sheikh Mahdi Karroubi regarding their (coincidental) meetings in New York.

Hashemi's threat concerning the activation of the Leadership Assembly in national and government affairs and the political reactions that followed.

The full entry of the day:

At 7:30 AM, we set off toward Tehran, traveling through Semnan, where half of the road is still unpaved and under construction. For 145 kilometers from the coast, the area is forested, especially in the highlands which are summer resorts. A large part of the forest has been cleared for agriculture. There are still isolated trees remaining until Chahardangeh. The NAJA (Law Enforcement Force) checkpoint in Fooladshahr recognized us and informed Mahdishahr. From there, a NAJA vehicle escorted us to Garmsar. The construction of this road began during the Development era, along with several other roads, to alleviate pressure from the main northern routes and provide access to fertile areas in the Alborz highlands. Although the implementation of the project has slowed under the current government, it has not been halted.

I arrived at my office at 2 PM. After resting until 4 PM, I completed my tasks until 8:30 PM and then went home. I found that Fatemeh had also arrived. She and her companions returned from the Chalous road and had lunch at Dr. Farideh Tabatabai’s house in Kelardasht, who is Fatemeh's cousin.

Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, the President, has gone to New York for the Millennium Summit, and rumors are circulating that he might have a coincidental meeting with Mr. Bill Clinton, the President of the United States, similar to Mr. Mahdi Karroubi, the Speaker of the Parliament. Some foreign and reformist media express concern over my statements during Friday prayers, where I mentioned that the Leadership Assembly is set to become active in national issues.

The spokesperson for the Palestinian self-governing authority stated that the Palestinians might accept a division of the management of East Jerusalem, a topic they rejected during Camp David II. After several days of fighting, the Taliban captured the city of Talqan from the Northern Alliance. Talqan was the center of Burhanuddin Rabbani's government, the former President of Afghanistan, indicating a weakness in their defense.