Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's Diaries - 16 Dey 1378 (January 6, 2000)Ali Larijani mentioned a serious debate between Behzad Nabavi and Abbas Abdi regarding their support for my candidacy.

Ali Larijani mentioned a serious debate between Behzad Nabavi and Abbas Abdi regarding their support for my candidacy.

Ali Larijani stated that there had been a serious discussion between Mr. Behzad Nabavi and Mr. Abbas Abdi about supporting my candidacy, and Behzad had said that they hadn't reached a point where they could be independent of Mr. Hashemi.

Daily Activities

It rained today as well. Thankfully, the air in Tehran is clean. I spent time reviewing reports, editing interviews with Mr. Masoud Safiri, [editor of the Akhbar newspaper] and Hamshahri newspaper, and allocating some time to organizing my 1361 diaries [after the crisis], which Faezeh, under the supervision of Mohsen, the managing director of the Ma'aref-e Enghelab Publishing House - the publisher of Karnameh and my diaries - is responsible for preparing.

Meeting with Ali Larijani

In the evening, Mr. Ali Larijani, [Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting] came. He brought the initial results of a new opinion poll, showing my support had increased from 50% to 62%, and Faezeh was in second place. Other individuals had also seen a relative increase in support. He requested that I intervene to secure the release of Mr. Gholamhossein Karbaschi, [Secretary-General of the Kargozaran-e Sazandegi Party], and to resolve the issue of the Tehran Municipality's Cultural and Artistic Organization, which is a point of contention between the board of trustees and the municipality. We also discussed the publication of news about the Assembly of Experts in Qom and the parliamentary elections. He mentioned the disqualification of a number of candidates and suggested that I bring the Kargozaran [Sazandegi] party closer to the right-wing. He also mentioned that there had been a serious discussion between Mr. Behzad Nabavi and Mr. Abbas Abdi about supporting my candidacy, and Behzad had said that they hadn't reached a point where they could be independent of Mr. Hashemi.

International News

The Syrian-Israeli negotiations in the United States are receiving attention. No news is being released except for reports of difficulties in reaching an agreement, and occasionally, US President Bill Clinton intervenes. The Sudan government and parliament's problem continues. It seems that the Western camp is supporting Mr. Omar al-Bashir, [President of Sudan], and acting against Mr. Hassan al-Turabi, [Speaker of the Sudanese Parliament]. It seems that their problem is Islam, which is embodied in Mr. Turabi's side.

In Chechnya, the Chechen rebels claim to have inflicted damage on the Russian army and liberated some villages seized by the military. Although Russia denies it, they admit that the war will be long. It's surprising that Boris Yeltsin, after his resignation and despite his weakness, traveled to Israel. In Indonesia, there is armed conflict in Aceh and the Maluku Islands, and the weakening of the central government threatens the country with new divisions. After Mohammad Suharto, turmoil and separatism are escalating in this large, island-studded, and diverse country.

Molana Masood Azhar's Speech

Mr. Maulana Masood Azhar, [Leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group in Pakistani Kashmir], who was released from an Indian prison after a hijacking incident, gave a speech to a crowd of 10,000 people in Karachi, Pakistan. He emphasized the continuation of the fight for the freedom of Kashmir and against America and India, which has led to protests from America and India against Pakistan.