Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - October 10, 2000 - Key Meetings

Main Meeting: The most significant meeting today was with Hassan Rouhani, discussing his report on Kamal Kharrazi's trip to Iraq and how to respond to the recent U.S. stance on Iran.

• Meeting with Hussein Nooshabadi, a representative from Varamin, who extended an invitation for a visit to Varamin.
• Meeting with representatives from Ilam Province in the Sixth Majlis to draw attention to development projects in the region.
• Meeting with Fereydoun Vardi Nejad, the CEO of IRNA, along with senior managers and promoters of the initiative known as 110.
• Meeting with Sheikh Qudrat Ali Khani, expressing concerns about the disputes within the reformist factions, and Hashemi's advice on controlling Seyed Mostafa Tajzadeh is notably significant.
• Meeting with Seyed Mansour Hosseini, representative from Minoodasht in the Sixth Majlis.

Full Diary Entry:

Mr. [Hussein] Nooshabadi, the representative from Varamin, came to see me. He brought examples of the weekly "Velayat," which highlighted articles about me, and he expressed his loyalty. He requested that I visit Varamin.

Representatives from Ilam Province, including [Ali Yari, Abdolreza Heydarizadeh, and Rajab Hosseini Nasab], also came to discuss the poverty of the people, the stagnant economy, and the fact that 25% of the population is under the coverage of the Committee for the Relief of the Imam. They sought assistance to activate crucial construction projects like dams, roads, hospitals, and industries.

Members of the organizing committee for the 110 initiative came to meet with me. Mr. [Fereydoun] Vardi Nejad, [the CEO of IRNA and editor-in-chief of the Iran newspaper], [Majid] Rezaiyan [deputy editor-in-chief], [Behrouz] Behzadi [editor-in-chief of Iran newspaper], and [Faramerz] Qarehbaghi [editor of Iran Javan magazine] explained their plans. The Iran Javan magazine aims to identify and introduce 110 worthy young men and women during the year of Amir al-Mu'minin (A) as exemplary youth. After providing them with some advice on their approach, I promised my support and affirmed the constructive nature of the competition. They expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of cooperation from state media and thanked me for establishing the "Iran Cultural Press Institute," which now publishes five newspapers and several magazines.

Sheikh Qudrat Ali Khani, [the representative from Qazvin], came to discuss the increasing disputes between the reformist factions, the diminishing influence of the Participation Front, and the conflicts within the Combatant Clergy Association, particularly between the two groups of [Seyed Mohammad Mousavi] Khoeiniha and [Mahdi] Karroubi. He requested control over [Mostafa] Tajzadeh, the Deputy Minister of Interior for Political Affairs, mentioning that [Seyed Abdol Vahid Mousavi-Lari], the Minister of Interior, is also facing challenges due to Tajzadeh’s interventions among the representatives.

Mr. [Seyed Mansour] Hosseini, the representative from Minoodasht, came by. He is one of the managers from the Reconstruction period and discussed the mismanagement in the country, the stagnation of economic affairs, and cultural deviations. He criticized the policies that weakened managers after the second Khordad Movement and expressed concern over Iran falling behind in global development under current conditions, urging for my greater presence and defense of reconstruction policies.

In the evening, Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani visited. He reported that Mr. [Kamal] Kharrazi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is heading to Baghdad to enhance relations with Iraq and provided details regarding the recent U.S. message concerning Iran's objection to the Middle East peace process. He indicated that Kharrazi has not accepted to review the response at the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council and insisted that it should be officially referred. He was uncertain about the Leader’s perspective. Regarding his candidacy for the presidency, he hadn’t reached a conclusion and was unsure about winning votes, or whether he could function effectively under the current circumstances if elected. He remarked that the prevailing mindset of the Leader concerning foreign policy, wealth, management, and issues similar to those surrounding Karrbaschi have left little room for effective executive action. He stressed that during my time, while there were cultural and foreign policy issues, I focused on economic endeavors and achieved significant progress.

I spent the night in my office.