Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - November 8, 1999 - President Khatami attributes the issues during his France trip to the French themselves

In the morning, the Expediency Council held a session. The ongoing dispute between the Guardian Council and the Parliament regarding the requirement to announce the reasons for disqualifying election candidates was discussed but remained unresolved.

I spoke with President Khatami about the issues during his trip to France. He said the problems stemmed from the French themselves, which caused frustration and agitation for our side as well.

In the afternoon, Yasser came by to discuss the logistical needs of the Strategic Research Center. Our new ambassador to Tajikistan, Mr. [Ali-Asghar] Shardoost, visited. He mentioned accepting the ambassadorship to avoid the pressure he faced to take on the responsibility for the Soroush magazine and expressed dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' policy towards northern countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Mr. [Ali] Majedi, our new ambassador to Japan, also visited. He stated that records show the foundations of Iran-Japan relations were solidified during my visit to Japan, and Japanese officials often recall this. However, Japan's foreign policy is heavily influenced by the U.S., given Japan's economic dependency and defense concerns, as well as threats from China and Russia. He noted that without U.S. pressure, the cooperation between Iran and Japan could have been broader. I agreed, as I had mentioned this many times in the past. He also spoke about the success of my policies regarding the Caspian Sea and urged that these policies should not be weakened.

Mr. [Mohammad-Bagher] Nobakht, the representative from Rasht, came seeking my opinion on the formation of the new "Independence" [Moderation and Development] party. He said it would not be advisable to announce or activate the party before the parliamentary elections. He also emphasized the importance of my participation in the elections to prevent disorder in the next parliament.

Today's media coverage paid considerable attention to Mr. [Abdollah] Nouri's trial, which began today. Globally, an important development is Pakistan's rejection of the Commonwealth countries' proposal for a timeline to restore democracy under [Pervez] Musharraf. The United States and Russia also issued a joint statement urging Musharraf to hand power back to civilians promptly. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the Taliban offered to negotiate with the U.S. over the fate of [Osama] bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda.