Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 26, 1997

From home, we went to Shahreri and opened Shahid Avini bridge. It was built with two and a half billion tomans and it works for traffic in the region. The ceremony was performed with the explanation of [Mr. Gholamhossein Karbaschi], the mayor of Tehran. In order to inaugurate four projects, including the Great Mosque of Ray, we went to the holy threshold of Hazrat Abdul Azim (PBUH) and visited various parts under construction to modify the structure of the shrine. A lot of work has been done. In a ceremony after the pilgrimage to Imamzadeh, Mr. [Mohammed Mohammadi] Ray Shahri, [the guardianship of Hazrat Abdul Azim (PBUH)] in Masla, gave a report, and I also praised Shahreri's plan to make the threshold and make it healthy. In Rezvan town, I plowed a new section into the ground. They have created good sources of income for Astana; More than ten thousand graves, each of which is sold for one million tomans, and more than 20 thousand square meters of commercial stalls in a commercial center.

I returned to my office. [Mr. Salah Zawawi], the Palestinian ambassador came. He had demands and praised Iran's policies and progress and criticized the compromise policy in Palestine. [Mr. Alexander Arzumanian], Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia came. brought the president's letter; The talks were formal and aimed at developing cooperation. They expect Iran to intervene in their conflict with Azerbaijan. It seems that they are under pressure from Europe and America. So far, we have received two letters from the self-proclaimed president of Nagorno-Karabakh asking Iran to do the same, but we do not think it is advisable to take any action.

In the evening Mr. [Ishaq] Jahangiri, the governor of Isfahan, came. He gave a report on the election situation and complained about the disqualification of some candidates, but they were mostly rejected in the executive boards, which he himself is apparently responsible for. Iftar, security personnel and their families were my guests. At night, we went to Saadabad to meet with Mr. Burhanuddin Rabbani, the semi-ousted president of Afghanistan, who has Afghan groups in Iran for peace talks. He explained the reason for the failure. They were surprised in the north of Kabul. They demand more help, for food and defense facilities, and help to open a new front in southern Afghanistan.

Mr. Velayati, [Minister of Foreign Affairs] gave two reports; One of the newspapers is about the possible disarmament of Lebanon's Hezbollah, citing the statements of Russian officials to Iran, and the other is about the return of our plane from Afghanistan.