Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - August 1, 2001 - Holding the Endorsement Ceremony for President Mohammad Khatami and Hashemi's Legal Reminder to Correct the Date on the Presidential Appointment Document

In the morning, we went to the leader’s office for the endorsement ceremony of Mr. [Mohammad] Khatami's presidency. The date on the endorsement document was written as 8/5/80. I pointed this out, and it was corrected. During the ceremony, the leader, Mr. Khatami, and I were on the podium. [Mr. Seyed Abdul Vahid Mousavi Lari], the Minister of Interior, gave a report on the elections and read Mr. Khatami's credentials. I read the leader’s endorsement decree with a brief introduction and handed it to the leader, who then gave it to Mr. Khatami. After that, Mr. Khatami and the leader spoke extensively.

I accompanied Mohsen, [the chairman and CEO of the Metro Company], and the guards to visit [Line 2] of the metro. We boarded the city train at [Meydan] Hoora. I spoke with passengers in the train and at Imam Khomeini station. Then, on another train, we traveled to see Line 1, from Imam Square to Aliabad station in the south, and visited several stations. They are preparing for the inauguration. Upon returning, a power failure stopped the train. It is not yet ready for operation. We traveled the remaining distance with a [rail vehicle], exiting at the furthest station next to Mirdamad Street.

We went to the Koshk office. In the evening, I used the swimming pool. Despite condemning Israel's aggressions, the leaders of this regime insist on continuing to assassinate Palestinian leaders; previously, news was published that 400 members of the Palestinian Mujahideen are on Israel’s assassination list. Until now, 40 of them have been assassinated. [Ariel Sharon], the prime minister and foreign minister of Israel, have disagreements over accepting peacekeeping forces.

In America, many companies have stopped or gone bankrupt due to economic recession. Despite repeatedly lowering interest rates, the world is experiencing economic stagnation, and rising oil prices are said to have had an impact.

It has been announced that the existence of water on Mars has been confirmed. The U.S. House of Representatives has banned human cloning, a project for creating living cells similar to human cells in American biotechnology research, which may lead to a migration of scientists from America.