Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – November 9, 1982

In the public session, there was a discussion about the new ministers. I also spoke in support of them. All three received votes of confidence. In the afternoon, I met with the Algerian ambassador and the South Yemeni ambassador. They made many friendly remarks. The Jihad Agriculture Committee also came and gave a report on their work and initiatives.

At night, in the President's office, in the presence of the prime minister, the chairman of the special committee reviewing the foreign trade bill, the minister of commerce, and Mr. [Mohammad-Reza] Mahdavi [Kani] from the Guardian Council, we held discussions to decide the fate of the bill that had been returned by the Guardian Council, and it was decided that the government would be authorized to delegate some matters concerning exports and imports to the private sector. There is also a view that this is what can be inferred from Article 44 of the Constitution: that sovereignty is in the hands of the government, not that implementation is an exclusive monopoly.

I came home at night. I watched a film of Iran's operations on Iraqi soil—in the oil-producing areas and the Zubeidat township. Late at night, the sister of the late Mr. Shahab [al-Din] Eshraqi came and asked for help to save her son Ahmad from prison, who is a member of one of the opposition groups and has been sentenced to five years. In the afternoon, a group of clerics from Qazvin had also come and spoken about the Assembly of Experts and the necessity of Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi] Khoeiniha running as a candidate from Qazvin. The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom and the Combatant Clergy Association of Tehran oppose nominating him.