Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - April 20, 2001 - Hashemi's Account of Mohammad Khatami's Regret Over the Arrests of National-Religious Activists from Yesterday

• Hashemi's account of Mohammad Khatami's expression of regret regarding the arrests of National-Religious activists and the international ramifications and interpretations surrounding this regret from the then-President.
• Meeting with Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, the former Governor of Kurdistan (later the Vice President), who, while consulting, complains about Abdullah Ramadanzadeh, the Governor of Kurdistan.
• Expression of concern by Sheikh Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri regarding the situation in the country while reporting on pilgrimage actions.
• Meeting with Mohammad Mahdi Mazaheri, the editor-in-chief of the Javan newspaper, discussing related consultations and requesting an interview with Hashemi.
• Meeting with Hassan Habibi, who expresses fatigue from being the Vice President in the reformist government and criticizes the arrest of National-Religious figures, requesting Hashemi's intercession regarding this matter (I will write more about the National-Religious figures in a separate post).

Full Entry:

Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami, the [President], expressed regret over the recent arrests of [National-Religious activists], and Western media have made a lot of noise about this as opposition to the judiciary and even the leadership. Associated media are also taking advantage of this situation.

Mr. [Mohammad-Reza] Rahimi, the former Governor of Kurdistan, came and said that most of the dedicated revolutionary forces expect you to run for president, believing you can manage the country. I said I am determined not to accept for the same reasons I previously mentioned. He talked about the weaknesses of [Mr. Abdullah Ramadanzadeh], the Governor of Kurdistan, and his violations.

Mr. [Mohammad] Mohammadi Reyshahri, [the representative of the Supreme Leader and head of the Iranian pilgrims], came. He said this year there were many complaints from the pilgrims regarding accommodation and transportation, perhaps because most of them are from new registration groups. He expressed concern about the state of the country. Dr. [Mohammad Mahdi] Mazaheri, the editor-in-chief of the Javan newspaper, came. He consulted about the elections, the newspaper's programs, and their faction, saying that the managers of eight newspapers have a weekly meeting for coordination. He requested an interview.

In the evening, Dr. [Hassan] Habibi, [the Vice President], came. He expressed fatigue and said he does not intend to accept the position of Vice President in the next term and criticized the arrests of several National-Religious figures. He asked me to intercede. He spoke of the abundance of disputes and friction in the government, which complicates his coordination work.

The dispute between the U.S. and China continues. The tone over the airplane incident is becoming sharper. Apparently, [George] Bush, the [President of the United States], has agreed to write a letter to the widow of the Chinese pilot to express his condolences, which China finds insufficient.