Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - January 29, 2000 - Meeting with Sheikh Mohsen Rahami, Lawyer of Sheikh Abdullah Nouri, Seeking Hashemi's Assistance for His Client’s Release from Prison

Meeting with Retirees and Following Up on Their Affairs

Meeting with Mahmoud Farazandeh, Hashemi's Former Translator for Foreign Trips, Now Appointed as Ambassador to Uganda

Meeting with Seyed Mohammad Jahromi and Discussions on Parliamentary Elections

Meeting with Sheikh Mohsen Rahami, Lawyer of Sheikh Abdullah Nouri, Seeking Hashemi's Assistance for His Client’s Release from Prison

Meeting with the Son of Sheikh Ahmad Mohseni Garkani, Imam of Arak, Reporting an Alleged Assassination Attempt on His Father and Requesting Hashemi's Support in the Parliamentary Elections

Meeting with Isa Kalantari, Minister of Agriculture, Discussing Progress on the Sugarcane Project in Khuzestan

Election Consultations with the Founders of the Moderation and Development Party

A group of retired government employees came to meet me and requested greater attention to their needs, including the elimination of wage disparities and participation in the management of the retirement fund. They also expressed their gratitude for the efforts made during my time in government to resolve these issues and establish equal pay. One of them, named Mr. Nourbakhsh, who had served as the Director of Elections and National Divisions at the Ministry of Interior during my tenure, came separately to ask for a job position; he had retired after my administration by his own request.

Mr. [Mahmoud] Farazandeh, my former English translator during foreign trips, came to see me. He has been appointed as Iran’s ambassador to Uganda and sought advice regarding his new responsibilities. During my trip to Uganda, he served as my translator and is familiar with the content of the discussions and the numerous cooperation projects, such as dam construction, oil extraction, gas cylinder sales, and cooperation in completing the mosque and agricultural complex. He expressed disappointment at the decline in cooperation with Africans during Mr. [Seyed Mohammad] Khatami's administration and voiced concerns about the lack of coordination in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the suspension of our air routes to East Africa.

Mr. [Seyed Mohammad] Jahromi also came. We discussed the elections and the work of the [Expediency Discernment Council]. He believes that the situation for the [Combatant Clergy Association] in the upcoming parliament is not bad, and he would like [the Executives of Construction Party] to include him on their list.

We had snow and rain last night and today. In the afternoon, Mr. [Mohsen] Rahami, the lawyer of Mr. Abdullah Nouri, came and asked for my help in reducing his client’s sentence. Mr. Garkani, son of [Sheikh Ahmad Mohseni Garkani], the Friday prayer leader of Arak, also visited. He said that last year, there had been an assassination attempt on him at his office, resulting in him losing consciousness, and acid had been thrown in his eyes, causing severe damage. The perpetrator remains unidentified, and he is currently a candidate for the [6th parliamentary] elections from Tafresh. He mentioned some potential suspects for the assassination attempt, but due to a lack of evidence, these cannot be detailed.

Dr. [Isa] Kalantari, [Minister of Agriculture], came to report on the progress of the sugarcane project in Ahvaz. He criticized the stagnation in the irrigation projects, the weakness in government management, and the administration’s lack of attention to economic matters. A group of founders of the Moderation and Development Party, including [Akbar] Torkan, [Mahmoud] Vaezi, [Mohammad Javad] Iravani, [Ali] Mousa-Reza, and [Abolfazl] Ejarehdar, came to discuss their party’s programs and objectives. They asked for my assistance in forming an alliance with [the Executives of Construction Party].