Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 20, 1996

Early in the morning, for the trip to Hamadan, we went to [Mehrabad] Airport. Mohsen [Hashemi, Head of the President's Office], [Hamid] Mirzadeh, [Head of the Plan and Budget Organization], [Bijan Namdar] Zanganeh, [Minister of Energy], [Seyyed Mohammad] Gharazi, [Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones], [Hadi] Manafi, [Head of the Environmental Protection Organization], [Abbas] Akhoundi, [Minister of Housing and Urban Development], and [Alireza] Marandi, [Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education], were with me. At eight-thirty we landed at Hamadan Airport. After the official welcome, we went to the city. The people in the streets gave a very magnificent welcome. To visit the project for the construction of 600 residential units, we went straight to the Saeedieh neighborhood. [Mr. Abbas Akhoundi], the Minister of Housing, explained. I too spoke about the housing policies and, given the provision of infrastructure and building materials, expressed hope that we could solve the housing problem.

Then we went to the city stadium, to the very large gathering of the people. The performance of the anthem, the slogans, and the welcome of [Mr. Seyyed Abol-Hassan Mousavi Hamadani], the Friday Prayer Imam, along with praise for the success in construction and reconstruction and the government's policies, and [Mr. Ahmad Khorram], the Governor-General, and my detailed 45-minute speech, on the historical honors of Hamadan and the strength of the Revolution and Hamadan's potentials and the construction programs carried out and the promise of a better future, took place.

From there we went to the Telecommunications Center. 119 projects at a cost of 100 billion rials, with the report of Mr. San'ati, [Deputy Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones], and my speech, were inaugurated simultaneously. It was broadcast live [on Channel One]. Then we went to the Teachers' House. At the Teachers' House ceremony, they presented a booklet containing 250 writings by students. Before my trip, the Ministry of Education had asked the students to think about what they would say if the President were their guest. Four thousand had taken part, and 250 letters had been selected from among them; I said they should give the rest too. We inaugurated the interesting guesthouse they had built; it is primarily for educators and then for the public. Prayers, lunch, a rest, and the unveiling of the plaque took place.

In the afternoon, for the ceremony marking the start of the construction of the city's sewage system and water supply, we went outside the city. [Mr. Zanganeh], the Minister of Energy, Mr. [Gholam-Reza] Manouchehri, [Deputy Minister of Energy for Water and Wastewater Affairs], and Engineer Omidi, [Managing Director of the Hamadan Province Water and Wastewater Company], gave reports, and then I spoke on the importance of sewage and also the important water supply works for cities.

We went to the new grounds of the Islamic Azad University outside the city. They have taken 220 hectares of good land and have built a number of new buildings at a reasonable price: 112 thousand tomans per square meter; they have built it cheaply. Dr. [Abdollah] Jasebi, [President of the Islamic Azad University], and Mr. [Mohammad] Mottaghi, president of the [Islamic Azad University] of Hamadan, gave reports, and I spoke on the importance of the work of the Islamic Azad University.

We went to the Shahid Madani development. We had a warm welcome from the people. We visited and inaugurated the 250-bed Social Security Hospital. I visited several patients. After hearing the report of Dr. [Alireza] Marandi and [Mehdi] Karbasian, [Head of the Social Security Organization], I spoke on the services of the [Social Security] Organization and the importance of insurance. We also had on the program the simultaneous inauguration of the 150-bed Malayer Hospital.

We went to the groundbreaking ceremony for the start of the Hamadan–Tehran highway. Messrs. [Akbar] Torkan, [Minister of Roads and Transportation], and Saeedi-Nejad gave explanations about the freeways, terminals, and transportation policy. I too spoke about the importance of both sectors and the harms of the lack of coordination that causes the waste of the fleet's capacity. I gave a short speech to the villagers who had gathered.

We were supposed to have the ceremony for the commissioning of the Abshineh Dam, which was postponed to tomorrow. For the inauguration of the tourist complex, we went to the Abbas Abad hill beside the beautiful Ganjnameh valley. The project is very interesting. They pump water up to a pool at a height, and from there it pours down as fountains and very beautiful waterfalls, and then collects in very large pools and from there goes to the surrounding fields. In the middle of the pool, they have built a large and magnificent restaurant, and beside the pool they have created a space for an open-air cinema and interesting flower arrangements. This place was formerly a small hydroelectric power plant built by the Germans.

A little girl recited a poem she had composed describing me. A large crowd of people had gathered and were very happy to see the program. They gave a lively welcome and released many doves. I too caught one and released it; later I saw that the Hamshahri newspaper had used its photograph. We went among the people and I responded to their feelings. At the ceremony, Mr. [Ahmad] Khorram, [the Governor-General of Hamadan], gave a report, and I too praised his work and criticized those who oppose it. After the unveiling of the plaque, we said the sunset and evening prayers right there.

We went to the Governor-General's Office. On the way, the people gave a very warm welcome. After dinner, I met with a group of the province's clerics. [Mr. Mousavi Hamadani], the Friday Prayer Imam, gave a short speech, and I too advised on unity and attention to the needs of the day. We stayed at the same Governor-General's Office. After studying the reports, I went to sleep.