Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 24, 1996

In the morning, we went to the hall of the Intellectual Development Center for Children and Adolescents to open the Judiciary Week ceremony. Mr. [Ismail] Shushtri, Minister of Justice, welcomed and gave a good report on the performance of the judiciary. I had a detailed talk about the Haftir disaster and the way the judiciary works.

Dr. [Alireza] Marandi, [Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Education] and deputies came. Most of them raised the budget deficit and the needs arising from public insurance and the lack of acceptance by the people. Mr. [Syed Mohammad Baqer] Mehri, a cleric living in Kuwait, came. He informed that Mr. [Gholamohsin] Mohammadi Golpaygani, the head of the leadership office, advised him to be careful in Kuwait so as not to be accused of acting against the country's government. Like what happened in Bahrain and he expressed his happiness that he has acted with the same policy from the beginning using my opinions.

Mr. [Hamid] Mirzadeh, [Head of the Program and Budget Organization] came. It was discussed about the implementation of the program and budget and the plan for poverty alleviation and the return of the loans of account 210 to the institutions. Mr. Ahmad Jalali, [Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to UNESCO] came and complained about the lack of cooperation of the ministers of science for special cultural programs abroad and asked about the status of Mr. Dr. [Mohammed Taghi] Banki. In the evening, in the meeting of the government board, we approved the bill [issuance] of partnership bonds, which is an important task.