Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - September 7, 2000 - Details of the Meeting with Seyyed Mohammad Khatami

• Meeting with Hossein Sadeghi, Iran's ambassador to the UAE, for political consultations.
• Meeting with Dr. Hadi Manafi and Dr. Mohammad Vafaee, who reported on the treatment progress of Sheikh Hossein Rasti Kashani.
• Cautioning Mohammad Hashemi, the then-executive vice president, about the import of vehicles under the name of a cooperative in Rafsanjan, following yesterday's meeting with Safarian.
• Report from Mohammad Hashemi regarding the efforts of the late Sheikh Hossein Hashemian, then representative of Rafsanjan in Parliament, to obtain approval for funding studies on transferring water from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari to Rafsanjan, which were obstructed despite the directive from Seyyed Mohammad Khatami.
• Farewell meeting with Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi, on the brink of leaving for studies in London, and political consultations regarding elections.

Full Text of the Daily Notes:

Mr. [Hossein] Sadeghi, our ambassador in the UAE, came to consult about remaining in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the expiration of his ambassadorship. He expressed dissatisfaction with the management in the Ministry and the overall situation in the country. He suggested that revolutionary forces come together to form a union among themselves to achieve national unity for the reconstruction of the country. I told him that given the serious divisions and factionalism, as well as the presence of capable and effective forces after the revolution, he should bring a practical plan. He is a member of the [Organization of] Mojahedin of the Revolution; although he has apparently resigned for work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dr. [Hadi] Manafi, former head of the Environmental Protection Organization, and Dr. [Mohammad] Vafaee came by to check on me and reported on Mr. [Hossein] Rasti Kashani's condition. My brother Mohammad, the executive vice president, came by. I warned him to be careful that the import of vehicles under the name of the [Producers and Exporters of] Rafsanjan pistachio cooperative does not materialize. He said that the representatives from Kerman, the Rafsanjan pistachio cooperative, and the governor have requested permission for the import of pickup trucks, but Mr. [Gholamreza] Shafei, the Minister of Industries, opposes it. Currently, they are discussing permission for three thousand vehicles, which has not yet reached Mr. Khatami's [the President's] signature.

He also mentioned that for transferring water from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari to Rafsanjan, Mr. Baqerian had a $7 million agreement with a French company for a study plan, while at the same time, another company was willing to conduct the study for $1.5 million, which led to the cancellation of their agreement. Although Mr. Khatami had instructed the allocation of the $7 million at Sheikh Hossein Hashemian's request, it was canceled due to opposition from Mohammad [Hashemi, the executive vice president] and Mr. Hossein Namazi, the Minister of [Economic Affairs and] Finance, which caused distress for Sheikh Hossein.

In the afternoon, Mr. Abbas Akhoundi, the former Minister of Housing and Urban Development, came by to say goodbye; he is departing for further studies in London. We discussed the presidential elections [in 2001]. Upon hearing the news that I would not run, he mentioned that a group of university scholars is considering nominating someone with the slogan of development and reconstruction for Iran.

In the media, discussions about the dialogue of civilizations continue, albeit with little substance. The Daily Telegraph reported that several heads of state are facing trials for human rights violations, including the leader of China, the President of Iran, [Muammar] Gaddafi, [the leader of Libya], Saddam [Hussein, the President of Iraq], and [Slobodan] Milosevic, [the President of Serbia]. There were also reports of anti-revolution demonstrations in New York against Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami, with paint thrown on the vehicles in his convoy and several individuals arrested. Israeli radio reported on a meeting between Mr. Khatami, [the President], and [Madeleine] Albright, [the Secretary of State], which was denied.