Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 20, 2000 - Refusal of Sixth Majlis Representatives to Sign a Letter of Gratitude to the Leader of the Islamic Republic

Continued Disputes Between Reformists and Conservatives Following Ayatollah Khamenei’s Speech on Defining Reforms, Intensified by the Potential Candidacy of Mohammad Khatami

Rejection of Seyyed Ali Akbar Mohtashami’s Credentials in the Initial Session of the Sixth Majlis, Though it Was Later Approved

At home and in my Koushk office, I spent time reading and resting. The U.S. government officially announced that the nine-day negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority had been fruitless, and [Bill] Clinton [President of the United States] departed for the Group of Eight summit in Okinawa. However, he asked [Yasser] Arafat and [Ehud] Barak to remain at Camp David until his return. It appears that [King Abdullah II] of Jordan helped convince them to accept the proposal to stay, but both sides have expressed pessimism about the prospects for successful negotiations.

I have had a cold for a few days now, and the coughing is persistent. The political disputes between the right and left factions in the press have intensified. Recently, the issue of defining reforms and Kayhan's exposé regarding liberal and leftist figures receiving money from Human Rights Watch has added a new dimension to the arguments. Additionally, the question of whether or not [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami will run for the next presidential election is further fueling these debates.

The rejection of Mr. [Seyyed Ali Akbar] Mohtashami’s credentials in the Majlis committee and its referral to the investigative commission is also a noteworthy development. In general, due to suspicion and distrust between factions, every issue easily turns into a subject of conflict and dispute. Some of the hardliners from the Second of Khordad [reformist faction] have explicitly rejected the government’s definition of reforms, as requested by the Leader, and have refused to sign the letter of gratitude to the Leader that most Majlis representatives had signed in this regard.