Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 8, 1998

By ten o'clock in the morning, I did the work and read the agenda of the meeting. Mr. [Mohammed] Emami Kashani, [juristic member of the Guardian Council] came. informed that the issue of the coalition of the clergy community and the assembly of clergy has not reached a place and the list of candidates for the parliament

experts, is set. We don't have a source for advertising costs. If a one-year loan of 200 million Tomans is given to the Islamic Economy Organization, they will cover the cost, which is about 70 million Tomans. He also asked me to give a share; I did not refuse. Sahmi also asked Mr. [Abbas Waez] Tabasi, [the guardianship of Astan Quds Razavi], but he did not accept either. He criticized Mr. [Mohammed] Yazdi and the judiciary for giving a blow to their faction with his ill-considered words in Friday prayers and the court of Mr. Karbaschi and suggested that with the permission of the leadership or the approval of the Assembly of Experts, the heads of the three branches can be nominated without an exam and put Mr. [Syed Mohammad] Khatami [President] on the list.

The Council of the Assembly [Determining the Expediency of the System] had a meeting. Two clauses of the general policies regarding oil and gas were approved. After the meeting, Mr. [Syed Mohammad] Khatami, and [Syed Mohammad Mousavi] Khoyini, [a member of the expediency assessment committee], separately asked for a meeting, which was not possible due to a previous appointment with Mr. [Abbas Waez] Tabasi. Mr. Khatami requested that I also take action to save Mr. Karbaschi, which I said, I have talked with Ayatollah Khamenei about pardon and with Mr. Yazdi, about giving a non-political and fair court in the appeal.

I had a discussion with Mr. Vaez Tabasi who came from Mashhad for the assembly. They were my guests for lunch. He is upset with the current situation and complains about the lack of attention of managers in Khorasan province to his opinion, including the replacement of the president of [Ferdosi Mashhad] University, without seeking his opinion; In the past, it has been noticed and they asked me to seriously and persistently take action to organize the situation of the faction of the clerical community, which is disordered, and to help the leadership, to better fulfill the responsibility.

Mr. Hossein Marashi, [Kerman representative] came. He gave a report on the situation in Kerman, and especially the Kahnuj-Jask road, which I emphasized, and the good condition of the tire factory and the purchase of three second-hand Airbus planes from Saudi Arabia [for Mahan Airlines], and talked about the issue of Mr. Karbaschi. It will make a lot of noise and cause continued quarrels. I told them to help the Islamic Azad University regarding the independence plan in the entrance examination.

Mr. [Mehdi] Karbasian, the head of customs, came. He spoke about the weakness of the management in the new government and the deterioration of the social security organization which was good during his time and the decrease in exports and the management in my government. [Mr. Isa Kalantari], Minister of Agriculture came. He reported on the good state of agriculture in the current year, due to adequate rainfall and few pests, and complained about the government's lack of attention to the pressure irrigation plan and paper mills of Ahvaz's sugarcane plan, etc.

Mr. Turki [Bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud], the son of Amir Abdullah, the Saudi crown prince, came. The F-15 pilot is young; It has been affected by Iran's favorable situation. The conversation was mostly friendly and complimentary. He came for fun. It doesn't matter. He has said that he has a message for me and Mr. Khatami, who did not have a message except for greetings. He said about the deep impact of my trip to Saudi Arabia in gaining the trust of the people and officials there.

[Secretary of the Guardian Council] Mr. [Ahmed] Janati came in the evening. In order to solve the problem of the examination of candidates for the parliament, experts said. The Guardian Council has decided to follow the law, but the leadership has said that the heads of the three branches will be exempted from the exam. They decided to accept. He said, there is no need for a lot of publicity and competition and large participation of people at the ballot boxes, and I wish it had not happened in the presidential election. I slept in my office at night.