Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 30, 2000 - Meeting with Ebrahim Raisi and a Report on the Sixth Parliamentary Elections in Tehran and Analysis of Mohammad Khatami's Response to Ayatollah Khamenei's Remarks

Meeting with Sadegh Kharazi and Criticism of Gholamhossein Karbaschi for Articles in the Hemmat Newspaper Following Khamenei's Previous Criticisms

Meeting with Moqaddad Najaf-Nejad, Representative of Babolsar, on His Activities

Mr. Sadegh Kharazi [Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Research and Education] came and provided a report on the research and cultural activities of his department. He mentioned a valuable collection of maps stored in the basement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which they have now organized, and he invited me to visit. He also criticized Mr. [Gholamhossein] Karbaschi [Managing Director of Hemmat Newspaper], who, after being released from prison, took a left-wing stance, leading to the closure of his newspaper. He expressed concerns about the state of the country as well.

Mr. [Moqaddad] Najaf-Nejad, the representative of Babolsar, came to discuss his efforts in Babolsar and sought advice on acquiring a ship for a non-profit institution they have established with public participation. He mentioned that my decision not to run for Parliament was the right one. Although initially, the conservative forces were disappointed, after seeing the state of the Parliament and the challenges Mr. [Mehdi] Karroubi [Speaker of the Parliament] is facing, it became clear that my presence in the Parliament would not have been suitable.

Mr. [Seyyed Ebrahim] Raisi, head of the General Inspection Office, came to provide a report on the review of the Tehran elections and said they have identified evidence of electoral violations that will be submitted to the court. He also reported on the judiciary’s actions in closing newspapers and making arrests, stating that this policy would continue. He noted that President Khatami’s speech was directly opposed to the Leader's views.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Seyyed Sadruddin] Shariati [Member of the Election Oversight Committee] from the Guardian Council came and brought detailed reports on the corruption in the Tehran elections. Mr. Mohsen Rezaei visited and said the Second of Khordad faction was openly defying the Leader’s views on reforms. He added that they plan to clarify their slogans in the upcoming presidential election and portray the people’s vote as a referendum. The Leader's office is unhappy with this situation. He asked me to speak with the Leader. Criticism of President Khatami’s early announcement of his candidacy has begun in the press, while the opposition media has widely welcomed it.

In Kashmir, an important political party unilaterally declared a ceasefire, announcing it would abandon armed struggle, which was welcomed by the Indian government but criticized by Islamic parties in Pakistan.

Several Arab countries have voiced support for [Yasser] Arafat [President of the Palestinian Authority] in the face of U.S. threats against him. The U.S. has also issued harsh and provocative statements regarding the conviction of Jewish spies.