Memories of Akbar Hashemi - October 6, 2000 - Important Political Consultations with Behzad Nabavi

• Continued Meetings and Political Consultations with Behzad Nabavi, who Reportedly Shared Insights from the Meeting with Others
• Meeting with Friday Prayer Leaders from Qazvin Province and Discussion on Current Political Issues
• Consultative and Electoral Meeting with Ali Aghamohammadi
• Consultative and Electoral Meeting with Abdollah Jassbi
• Request from the CEO of the Rafsanjan Pistachio Producers and Exporters Cooperative for Financial Assistance

Full Text of the Daily Note:

Mr. Ali Bagheri and Mr. Amir Tehrani, deputies of the Minister of Information, came to discuss the draft of Ayatollah Montazeri's memoirs and his house arrest situation. They sought my opinion and also reported on Mr. Behzad Nabavi's remarks after his meeting with me, noting that some of his statements were somewhat distorted, although most were accurate. They also reported on the verdict against tape recorders and the events in Urmia during Mr. Mohammad Khatami's visit.

The Friday Prayer leaders from Qazvin Province visited. They expressed their concerns regarding their economic, cultural, political, security, and administrative situations. I didn't have any comforting answers for them and accepted this reality. We discussed possible solutions but did not reach a clear conclusion. They were my guests for lunch, during which we discussed my travel plans to Qazvin.

In the afternoon, Mr. Ali Aghamohammadi, the Deputy of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization, came by. We discussed the political and cultural challenges and the upcoming presidential elections. I stated that I would not be a candidate. We also talked about the potential candidacies of Ali Akbar Velayati and Hassan Rouhani. Dr. Abdollah Jassbi, the President of the Islamic Azad University, visited and requested that I send a message to the conference of student associations and organizations at the university. He mentioned that the Ministry of Science had prepared a draft bill regarding higher education management that he deemed radical and extreme. We also discussed the upcoming elections, and I reiterated that I would not run. He too mentioned that he had not decided to run.

Later in the evening, the CEO of the Rafsanjan Pistachio Producers and Exporters Cooperative came again, seeking assistance for securing liquidity from banks.

The elections in Yugoslavia have gone to a second round, but opponents of Slobodan Milošević claim there has been fraud, a narrative echoed by Western media. In France, a majority in the referendum favored reducing the presidential term from seven years to five, although over 30% of the population did not participate in the referendum. The OPEC leaders' meeting took place in Venezuela, coinciding with European countries starting to release their strategic oil reserves to the market, which has lowered prices. Following Russia, France and Jordan have also sent aircraft to Iraq, easing sanctions.