Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - February 3, 2002 - Meeting with Behzad Nabavi and Historical Insights Exchanged

Meeting with Sayyed Mohammad Baqir Khosroshahi, Head of Sheikh Abdol Hossein Religious School, and Numerous Criticisms of the Endowment and Charity Organization

Consultative Meeting with Sadegh Khazari and Noteworthy Points

Consultative and Political Meeting with Behzad Nabavi with Historical Insights Exchanged

Meeting with Sheikh Abd al-Nabi Namazi, the New Attorney General, Presenting His Previous Services to Hashemi, Especially During His Judicial Leadership at the Beginning of the Revolution in Western Iran

Media Criticism of the Islamic Republic's Promise to Assist Afghanistan from Khamal Khrazi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is Noteworthy

Complete Daily Entry:

I started work early in the morning. Mr. [Sayyed Mohammad Baqir] Khosroshahi, the head of Sheikh Abdol Hossein Religious School, came to visit. He expressed concerns about the Endowment Organization's strictness regarding the use of endowment income and the mismanagement of the clergy's insurance program, as well as the issues facing mosques in southern Tehran. He sought assistance in resolving the clergy's problems and mentioned that negative propaganda against the children of influential families has harmed the clergy and the main pillars of the revolution.

Mr. [Sadegh] Khazari, [Deputy Foreign Minister], visited. He brought samples of the new publications from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' educational department. He reported on the establishment of the Ministry's Documentation Center, where documents from several centuries, totaling around ninety million, are disorganized in warehouses. He criticized the leadership and the president for this situation. He stated that the Ministry of Intelligence is to blame for the presence of certain Al-Qaeda members in Iran. He expressed dissatisfaction with the coverage from Kayhan newspaper regarding his stance on the Buddha statue in Afghanistan, saying he had proposed that Iran was ready to reconstruct the statue destroyed by the Taliban. This led to criticism from religious authorities in Qom. He also criticized the country's foreign policy regarding Iraq, deeming it unreliable.

Mr. Behzad Nabavi, [Tehran Representative and Vice President of Parliament], came by. He expressed concern over the pressure faced by some reformists and the leadership's lack of trust in them. He disagreed with the defense and intelligence ministries regarding the seriousness of the threat of a U.S. attack. He asked for my assistance in neutralizing the leadership's positions. He stated that he does not consider the national-religious individuals as subversive. He followed up on the request made during the meeting of the reformist faction's board regarding the defendants in the [Shahram] Jazayeri case. I mentioned that I had spoken with the leadership; their opinion is that those whose receipt of money has no criminal nature will face no problems, while those who have committed crimes will be punished.

Mr. Nabavi mentioned that some on the right wing want to use the threat of the U.S. to impose restrictions. He argued that the correct way to address this threat is for the leadership to trust the reformists as much as they do their opponents. He noted that most of their friends agree that you are the founder of the reformist idea, and the fifth parliament elections and the presidential elections of Khordad are evidence of this theory. He added that during your government, the weekly "Asr-e Ma," the organ of the Mojahedin Revolution Organization, criticized openly and was never attacked.

In contrast, Mr. [Ali] Larijani suggested that to prevent the threat from the U.S., internal unity and coordination should be strengthened by curbing the leftist faction's adventurism.

In the evening, Mr. [Abd al-Nabi] Namazi, the Attorney General, visited. He explained his judicial background during the first two years of the revolution in western Iran and outlined his plans for his new responsibilities. Media criticisms of the $560 million aid promise made by [Mr. Khamal] Khrazi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Afghanistan have emerged, especially given the internal issues faced by the country.