Memories of Akbar Hashemi - September 10, 2000 - Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's Return from New York

• Meeting with Abdollah Jasbi and an Interesting Account of His Election as a Member of the World Universities Association.
• Meeting with Ahmad Qazai, Former Commander of the Islamic Revolution Committee in Tehran and Current Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan.
• Meeting with a Group of Students Whose Identities Have Been Overlooked by Hashemi or the Publisher, Presenting Proposals to Counter the Freedom Movement's Plans.
• Meeting with Managers of Public Relations from IRIB.
• Meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Reza Abbasi-Fard, Who, Despite Having Adjusted Personal Matters, Delivered a Message from Ayatollah Zadeh Seyyed Javad Golpayegani Regarding the Land Issues of Golpayegani Hospital, Which Had Encountered Ambiguities in the Metro Expansion Plan.
• Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's Return from New York.

Full Text of the Daily Note:

Dr. [Abdollah] Jasbi, [Head of Azad University], came to provide a report on his election to the executive membership of the International Association of Universities, which includes 800 member universities. He said he had not been nominated initially. Several heads of state universities from Iran who were present had been nominated, but Mr. [Mohammad] Amiri, the Vice President for International Affairs at Azad University, had a dream in which the head of the relevant committee told him that Dr. Jasbi would be elected. With his insistence, he registered his name and secured votes, causing discontent among the state university representatives. He expressed concern about the potential cooperation between the government and parliament to limit the powers of Azad University and shared some suggestions regarding the upcoming presidential election [in 2001].

Mr. Ahmad Qazai, the new ambassador to [Azerbaijan], came by; he had previously served as the consul in Azerbaijan. He mentioned that the Islamic Republic has not utilized opportunities to engage with Azerbaijan effectively and has missed good public relations. We need to make an effort to connect with this second Shia country, which is a natural ally. He consulted with me about strategies to achieve this goal, and I explained the real obstacles.

A group of students visited. They have a program to defend values and honors, including those from the war. They sought consultation and assistance. They presented a proposal called 1+7, in contrast to the Freedom Movement's 2+6 plan, which compares one year of liberal leadership against seven years of value-based leadership.

In the afternoon, managers of public relations from the central and provincial offices of IRIB came. Mr. [Mohammad] Honnardoust [Deputy for Communication and International Affairs of the National Media] reported, and I spoke about the crucial responsibilities of IRIB and public relations in the face of extensive enemy propaganda. Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Abbasi-Fard arrived, discussing purchasing a house and also asking me to tell Mohsen [CEO of Tehran Metro] to clarify the land issues of Ayatollah [Seyyed Mohammad Reza] Golpayegani's hospital, which is involved in the metro project. The message was brought from Mr. Seyyed Javad Golpayegani. Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami returned from his trip to New York, welcomed by the youth at Mehrabad Airport.