Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 20, 1998

In the reports, the explicit statements of the Americans about the role of Osama bin Laden, [the leader of Al-Qaeda], in the explosions in Kenya and Tanzania are important. They have asked Afghanistan to hand him over and have called this the condition for recognizing the Taliban; the Taliban have not accepted.

Yesterday Mr. Seyyed Ali Asghar Hejazi from Mashhad said by telephone that the Leadership's opinion is that the heads of the three branches should be members of the Assembly of Experts by the Leadership's decree, without elections; Mr. Ahmad Jannati, [the Secretary of the Guardian Council], also wants this. I said that the opinion of the Presiding Board of the Assembly of Experts is that the condition of examination should be removed from them and they should participate in the elections, but the opinion of some of the right faction is that they do not need to participate in the elections; due to considerations they themselves have regarding the number of votes, Mr. Jannati insists. Mr. Mohammad Ali Shar'i also said the same. With the objections I explained, they fell into doubt. It was arranged to investigate more.

Mr. Shar'i, recalling the remark I had made to him in Qom about the Leadership, asked me to help him with that same spirit. He said regarding the demands for the development of Qom and Qom becoming a province, I had said it is better that these services be recorded in the name of Ayatollah Khamenei, because he is the constant essence of the system and Qom's satisfaction with him is important. If he asks me, I will do it, and so it happened, and he added that today his supporters are under pressure in many places and may not win votes, and he cited Shiraz as an example, where the situation of Mr. Mohi al-Din Haeri [Shirazi] is not good against the Dastgheibs [= Seyyed Ali Mohammad and Seyyed Ali Asghar]. He assessed my remarks at the Friday prayer as ambiguous. These remarks had an attack on both sides; both those who, by raising issues and apparently value-based, prevent work and create insecurity, and those in the government who do not pay attention to construction and act sloganistically and politically, and the press that has made the atmosphere political and tense, and therefore each side looks with a view of approval and criticism. The dispute of the [Hamshahri and Salam newspapers] is interesting from this aspect.

Today from dawn until three in the afternoon was spent on the mountain climbing program. We carried out a difficult and dangerous program. By car we went to the Tochal peak. Several people were there. We greeted them; including a young woman named Tajerzadeh who had come alone. She said her father is a metro employee; she is a brave girl. They wanted a fully equipped shelter to be built there.

We went from the ridge toward Sarf. A cold wind was blowing from the Tehran side. Both sides of the mountain are scenic. From the heights we descended through the valley toward Darabad. The valley had many rocks and precipices. Several of the companions injured their feet. At the bottom of the valley, my legs gave out. I felt the meaning of the expressions of knees buckling and legs not obeying; until now we used to say it and did not understand. The legs were not under command and sometimes bent involuntarily and it was dangerous. One hand on a cane and the other in the guard's hand; to protect against the danger of falling.

Every few hundred meters, we would rest once, but the legs would not return to command. Several others were like me. Due to the steep downward slope, sometimes we would turn around and come down backward. Finally near noon we reached the Darabad River.

We rested beside Khalil's garden. I slept a little and the companions bathed in the water. At one-thirty in the afternoon, we moved toward Tehran. Again there was the problem of the legs' command. A donkey was found, I rode the donkey a little; a pity the film camera was not with us. Three of the companions who had fallen behind due to leg problems arrived; I became happy. Mr. Mohammad Soleimani, one of our guards, was in the worst condition of all. Mr. Mohammad Javad Eqbali's condition was also bad; he is fat and his knee is injured. Mr. Jafar Kamarei, one of the guards, twisted his foot and developed a problem.

We reached a height that the donkey could not climb. From the opposite direction, a mule rider was found. It turned out he had brought bread and supplies for the herders from the city and is a worker of Khalil's garden. A small garden in the heights that has a number of fruit trees including walnut. He said his name is Ali, from Jalalabad, Afghanistan. His mother has died and his father farms there and he himself is a member of Hikmatyar's Islamic Party and receives thirty thousand tomans a month from Khalil.

He recognized us and put the mule at our disposal. For the first time, I rode a mule. He took the mule's reins and we moved toward Tehran through the heights. The companions also set off slowly. I was amazed at the mule's power to pass through the narrow and dangerous mountain paths. Truly this animal is very valuable for mountain trips. Messrs. Mehdi Meraj, Hassan Khavid, and Tolu'i were able to accompany; the rest fell behind. At three in the afternoon we reached Kashanak. We came home by car. I rested until night. Yaser and Maryam brought dinner.