Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 30, 1999

In the morning, I met with [Yusuf bin Alawi], Oman’s foreign minister. We discussed Iraq, Palestine, and bilateral relations. Dr. [Hadi] Manafi came to see me and asked for assistance on behalf of a gynecologist who had been convicted of raping a patient. He criticized some aspects of the country’s current situation and the state of the national broadcasting organization.

Mr. [Habibollah] Asgaroladi, [Secretary-General of the Islamic Coalition Party], came to see me. He expressed appreciation for my having introduced discussions of ethics into my Friday prayer sermons and urged me to prepare myself to return to Parliament and participate in the next presidential election. I repeated my usual response, but he was not convinced. He said that we had reached the very necessity I had referred to, adding that I should conduct myself in such a way as to remain a reserve leader, so that if anything happened to the Leader, the country would not face a vacuum or disruption. I told him that I did not even think about such a possibility, had never done so, and was not prepared for it.

He emphasized the need to activate the Association of Combatant Clerics and for me to become more involved in it, as a way of increasing my participation in the country’s affairs. He expressed displeasure over the publication of some remarks I had made during a private meeting in the Javan newspaper and the Isargaran newsletter. He suspected that Mr. Ahmad Tavakoli had leaked the information and said that Mr. [Ali-Akbar] Parvaresh was also upset by the incident. I, too, reproached them.

The board of directors of the Informatics Association came to see me. After explaining the importance of information security, they asked me to consider ways to protect the patents and innovations of people working in their field. I told them that the Expediency Discernment Council had approved provisions safeguarding the rights of those responsible for discoveries, inventions, and similar achievements. They called for satellite broadcasting and the Internet to be made available to the general public, and I explained the obstacles. They also spoke about the brain drain in this sector, noting that the rapid expansion of communications and the growing demand for data services had created a need for these specialists.

In the afternoon, Mr. Hossein Marashi came to see me. He reported that the Executives of Construction Party had decided to expand the party’s activities and make it more active. He asked me to seek the Leader’s pardon for Mr. Karbaschi. He also reported disagreements emerging among the various factions of the Second of Khordad Front.