Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - October 26, 2000 - Meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei

• Key Meetings: Included discussions with Dr. Mohammad Hossein Eskandari, Head of the Islamic Azad University of Arsanjan, General Mohammad Sohrabi regarding the reorganization of police forces, and journalist Masoud Safiri concerning media issues.
• Discussion with Ayatollah Khamenei: The significant meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei focused on the weaknesses of the Revolutionary Court, Ministry of Intelligence, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Concerns were raised regarding Khamenei's dissatisfaction with Foreign Minister Khamenei's recent trip to the U.S. The issues in Tabriz and grievances from Sheikh Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari were also addressed.

Full Diary Entry:

Dr. [Mohammad Hossein] Eskandari, the head of the Islamic Azad University in Arsanjan, visited me. He had no significant issues to discuss, but provided a report on the university's status and expressed gratitude for establishing this important university, which now has 20 majors and 2,500 students.

General [Mohammad] Sohrabi, the former commander of the police force (NAJA), came to see me. He proposed the division of the police into urban and rural forces, similar to the previous structure of the gendarmerie and city police, and expressed concern about the country's security. He brought some saffron, which he said was from his wife’s estate in Tabas. After his tenure as commander, he pursued a PhD in political science and is now teaching at the Islamic Azad University. He requested that I inform the university to accept medical reserve students from the entrance exam, as his child is among them.

Mr. [Masoud] Safiri, a journalist, came to see me. He asked for my help to prevent newspapers from being closed and journalists from being arrested. He requested an interview with the Hayat-e-No newspaper, where he is part of the editorial board. He also sought permission to translate the book "Hashemi Rafsanjani: Truths and Expediencies," which consists of interviews with me, for publication in Egypt. Today, he had an interview with the Persian section of BBC. I advised him to be cautious and not say anything incorrect.

In the evening, a large number of clerics and Basij members from Qaem Shahr attended. Mr. [Hosein] Nobav, the Friday prayer leader, spoke. I also discussed the Sacred Defense and the people's involvement in the revolution.

At night, I was a guest of the Supreme Leader. We discussed the weaknesses of the Revolutionary Court, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He expressed dissatisfaction with Mr. [Kamal] Kharrazi's [Minister of Foreign Affairs] trip to the U.S. We also talked about issues in Tabriz and the complaints from Mr. [Mohsen Mojtahed] Shabestari [representative of the Supreme Leader in East Azerbaijan and Friday prayer leader in Tabriz]. He is against the construction of a mosque in the grounds of the Arg Ali Shah, but it is a project that has already been carried out. Additionally, we discussed the closure of the Miān school, the Friday prayers in Tehran, and the deviations of the [Islamic] Participation Front.