Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - November 21, 2000 - Continuation of Discussions Ignored by Hashemi; This Time Meeting with Behzad Nabavi and Request for Acceleration in Resolving Differences Between the Guardian Council and Parliament Regarding the Interpretat

Meeting with Mohammad Khazaei, Iran's Representative at the World Bank

Meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Shahi Arblou, Current Representative of Hashtrood in Parliament

Meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Ali Sedoghi, then Deputy for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to the President and Imam Juma of Yazd

Continuation of Discussions Ignored by Hashemi; This Time Meeting with Behzad Nabavi and Request for Acceleration in Resolving Differences Between the Guardian Council and Parliament Regarding the Interpretation of the Press Law

Full Entry of the Day:

Mr. Mohammad Khazaei, Iran's representative at the World Bank, visited. He brought a small wrist blood pressure monitor as a souvenir. He provided explanations about the World Bank's situation and mentioned that a delegation from the bank is currently in Iran to assess the economic conditions and relevant indicators. He noted that there is a concept being pursued at the bank that includes the positive or negative role of religions in the economies of countries as part of the criteria for loan qualification. He stated that the bank currently employs 9,700 staff and collects only three percent of government commitments in cash, with annual stock market transactions amounting to $60 billion, which constitutes the main source of its income.

Mr. Mohammad Shahi Arblou, representative of Hashtrood, arrived. He expressed appreciation for the infrastructural developments in that underprivileged area and noted that the implementation of the Sahand Dam, which is crucial for the region and began during the era of reconstruction, is currently stalled. He added that this year's drought has caused significant problems for the people and requested that I tell Mohammad, the Deputy Executive of the President, to provide assistance to the Islamic Azad University in Hashtrood while criticizing the factional biases of the Second Khordad Front in Parliament.

Mr. Mohammad Ali Sedoghi, the then Deputy for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to the President, also visited. He expressed concern about the state of affairs in the country, stating that the economic situation is dire. In Yazd, which previously had little unemployment, about ten percent of the population is now unemployed, and many industrial units are facing difficulties. I responded that this is the fault of leftist policies. I emphasized that now that they control the Parliament and the government, they should avoid creating tensions and maintain calm in the country to allow people to invest.

In the afternoon, Mr. Behzad Nabavi, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, came to discuss the resolution of the interpretation issues within the Assembly of Experts. I mentioned that we would review it and that a period of time would be required for expert assessment. I advised him to refrain from such adventures and focus on rebuilding the country. He acknowledged that the rational view aligns with this, but that the extreme left does not allow it. An explosion of a bus in Israel in Gaza has resulted in several casualties and injuries, prompting Israel to intensify its threats.