Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 24, 2000 - Reactions to Ayatollah Khamenei's Provincial Trip to Ardabil

Meeting with Seyyed Mahmoud Doaee and Reporting the Request of Dr. Yadollah Sahabi Regarding the Detention of Ezzatollah Sahabi
Meeting and Report from Sheikh Ghodratollah Ali Khani on the State of the Sixth Parliament and Other Political Consultations
Meeting with Habibollah and Mohammad Mobasheri and Complaints about Halting the Economic Activities of Imam Sadegh University at the Recommendation of Ayatollah Khamenei
Meeting with Mohammad Ali Elahi, Imam of the Mosque in Michigan, USA, and a Report on His Activities
Meeting of the Board of Trustees of Islamic Azad University and Its Decisions
Reactions to Ayatollah Khamenei's Provincial Trip to Ardabil

Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud] Doaee, [Director of the Ettela'at Institute], came. He said that Dr. [Yadollah] Sahabi had asked him to inquire about the charges against Engineer [Ezzatollah] Sahabi. Since his relationship with the office of the Leader is not good, he requested my assistance. He also mentioned that Mr. [Mohsen] Kadivar said that Mr. [Abdollah] Nouri’s [imprisoned in Evin's special ward for clerics] cellmates are not compatible with him, making his situation difficult. It would be good to relocate him.

Sheikh Ghodratollah Ali Khani [Representative of Buin Zahra] came and said that in Parliament, the rift between the [Participation] Party members and the rest of the reformists has become serious. The Participation Party members accuse Mr. [Mehdi] Karroubi [Speaker of Parliament] of being too compromising, saying they will not re-elect him as Speaker after a year has passed. Due to these differences, Parliament has been unable to achieve significant results in the past two months. The Leader’s office has informed Mr. Karroubi that the Leader will issue a warning to Parliament regarding the Press Law proposal. Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi] Khoeiniha [a member of the Assembly of Combatant Clerics] and [Seyyed Mohammad Ali] Abtahi [Chief of Staff to the President] lean towards the Participation Party, while Mr. [Seyyed Ali Akbar] Mohtashami seems to do so as well, although in the past, they did not approve of such figures. He also mentioned that the farmers of Qazvin are suffering due to the drought and the non-implementation of the Taleghan Dam project.

Mr. [Habibollah] Mobasheri [Deputy for Student Affairs at Imam Sadegh University], his son Mohammad, and a group of colleagues came. They complained about the national broadcasting organization (IRIB) for violating their contract to establish an economic network as a private sector entity. They claimed that some people opposed it, using the excuse that the Leader had said that the expansion should be halted. They requested assistance.

Mr. [Mohammad Ali] Elahi, the Imam of the Islamic Center [Dar al-Hikmah] in Michigan, USA, came. He was previously in charge of ideological and political affairs in the Navy. He said they had purchased the center, which was originally a church, for two million dollars, with several acres of land, and they are still paying off the debt. He sought help in paying off the remaining installments and explained the services they are providing in that facility.

In the afternoon, the Board of Trustees of Islamic Azad University held a meeting. We approved the balance sheet, the establishment of new units, the tuition fees for the upcoming academic year, and salary increases. The university has approximately 240 billion tomans in assets and 120 billion tomans in annual revenue and expenses, with around 700,000 students.

The media, especially the national broadcaster, focused heavily on the Leader's trip to Ardabil. Reports from the Camp David II negotiations show signs of a deadlock, despite 14 days of discussions. It appears that the main obstacle is the status of East Jerusalem.