Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 3, 1999

Mr. [Sidkamal] Kharazi, Minister of Foreign Affairs came. He gave an explanation about the accident and the death of his mother and the injury of his brother, and gave a report about his trip to Japan and negotiations with Europe, and expressed his satisfaction with the progress in foreign policy. We discussed the solutions to improve oil prices. He narrated a story about the summoning of a genie by another person, which he performed at the funeral of Mr. Abdallah Nouri. The issues arising from the recent murders were discussed.

Mr. [Ali] Abdul Ali Zadeh, [Minister of Housing and Urban Development] came. He brought the text of his statements about the construction of the dam, which Salam newspaper and some other newspapers had distorted, and I had attacked those statements in a speech on the radio. He complains about Salam newspaper, which did not publish the refutation. He gave a report about the plan to build small houses for rent, but in front of my many questions, he was unable to answer about the financial resources and rent amount, etc. and said that they have given almost half of their construction credits. He gave a report on his trip to Syria and Lebanon and new issues that can be cooperated, including connecting Iran's railway and oil pipeline to the Mediterranean through Iraq and Syria.

[Minister of Information] came in the evening of Mr. He is upset that Mr. Khatami, [President], suggested that the Minister of Information should resign following the announcement of the discovery of the killers of the new murders. He believes that Mr. [Mustafa] Mousavi [= Kazemi, Deputy Deputy Security Minister of the Ministry of Information] lied in order to solve his own problem, that Mr. Dori knew or agreed. He expects me and the leadership to stop this oppression and he believes that Mr. Khatami is using this situation to dominate the [Ministry of] Information.

In the evening, I went to the leader's house. We had a long discussion about the recent murders and the trial of the murderers and how to deal with the Minister of Information. We continued until Maghrib, after prayer and breaking the fast. They also do not agree that the ministry of information should be linear, or that Mr. Dori, who accepted the ministry with insistence and begging, should be a compromise, and at the same time, they do not want to upset Mr. Khatami either. Mr. Karbaschi's trial was discussed; He does not remember that they made a firm promise that they will pardon, but they do not deny the possibility of pardon either. Mr. [Mohammed] Yazdi, [head of the Judiciary], called me and asked me to organize a meeting, to consult with the heads of the three branches, about the quality of handling the issue of murders, and made a proposal similar to Mr. Khatami's proposal.