Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - June 20, 2000 - Hashemi's Participation in Ceremony at the Leader's Office and Extremely Important Historical Consultations with Senior Officials of the Time

Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - June 20, 2000 - Hashemi's Participation in Ceremony at the Leader's Office and Extremely Important Historical Consultations with Senior Officials of the Time

We went to the Leader’s office for the ceremony of the Prophet’s (PBUH) and Imam Sadiq’s (AS) birth anniversary. As usual, a quarter before the official session, a gathering of the country’s officials was held in the office, after which we proceeded to the Hussainiyah once the session was ready. The Quran recitation, slogans, congratulations from the President, and the Leader’s brief speech took a total of half an hour.

During and after the session, I had some conversations with some of the attendees. Mr. [Seyed Mahmoud] Hashemi Shahroudi [Head of the Judiciary] expressed satisfaction with his trip to Kerman, especially Rafsanjan. Mr. [Ahmad] Jannati [Secretary of the Guardian Council] spoke about his trip to Egypt, where they had a conference similar to our Unity Week, but with more formal personalities and better organization. He mentioned that he didn’t stay for the closing session to avoid facing Mr. Hosni Mubarak [President of Egypt].

Mr. [Mehdi] Karroubi [Speaker of Parliament] expressed concern about the state of the parliament, saying that it is significantly different from previous parliaments, with an uncontrollable and intense atmosphere. A clear example is the blatant disregard for the Leader’s directive. The Leader had sent messages through him and Mr. Behzad Nabavi, asking the representatives to abandon the bill to amend the press law, but the representatives refused, saying they would reduce the urgency from double to single. The Leader, however, responded that it makes no difference. Mr. Karroubi said he had not voted for the urgency and had been criticized by some representatives for it. Mr. [Mohammad] Khatami [President] mentioned that he had argued with some of them, but it was of no use. Mr. Khatami also discussed his planned trip to China and said, “I’ve stopped taking the sedatives.”

Mr. [Mohammad Taghi] Moayed [Ambassador to Greece] in his conversation suggested that it would be better for the Leader to embrace Mr. Khatami, similar to how they handled Mr. [Hossein] Mozaffar, the Minister of Education, by appointing him as one of the Friday Imams of Tehran, among other privileges. I said that although the Leader was not initially inclined towards Mr. Khatami, their relations have gradually improved, and in several instances, the Leader has averted major threats to Mr. Khatami. One instance was during the dormitory incident at Tehran University, where after widespread public demonstrations, the situation posed a serious danger to Mr. Khatami’s government. Another was the "Moj" publication case, where it nearly caused mass demonstrations. Third was the Tehran election, where the Guardian Council annulled the results, but the Leader, using his authority, restored them.

At noon, a group of children gathered. In the evening, relatives came. Mr. Hossein Marashi [Representative of Kerman] also commented that the parliament was intense and uncontrollable, exemplified by the press law and the rejection of Mr. [Gholam Ali] Haddad Adel’s [Tehran representative] credential, despite the recommendations of Mr. Khatami and others. It had been rejected in the relevant commission, but Dr. [Hassan] Habibi [First Vice President] speculated that Mr. Khatami’s recommendation might not have been serious, as the head of the commission, Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Tabesh [Representative of Ardakan], is a relative of Mr. Khatami. Mr. Marashi added that the differences between the reformists in parliament have increased. The expectations of the Sunnis, Kurds, and others to have a position in important commissions or the presidium have not been fulfilled, and they are frustrated. Additionally, the differences between the Combatant Clergy Association and the Participation Front are growing, and Mr. Karroubi’s decision not to vote for the urgency of the press law amendment has exacerbated these differences.

I went to the Shahid Mahalati neighborhood for the groundbreaking of a local mosque. The Imam of the mosque, Mr. [Mansour] Ghafoori, gave a welcome speech, and I spoke as well. I shared the history of the neighborhood’s construction, mentioning that I personally obtained the land from the Foundation of the Oppressed in 1987 by Imam’s order, and construction began. Today, there are approximately five thousand housing units, and construction continues, with the units being allocated to veterans with certain privileges. It was a good session.