Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – October 14, 1997

From home, we went to Islamic Azad University, Tehran South Branch, to inaugurate five construction projects of the university. I visited different departments. We heard the report of the head of the unit and Dr. [Abdullah] Jasbi, [President of Islamic Azad University]. South Tehran branch has 50,000 students, 15,000 of whom study in the technical faculty. I opened the third phase of it today. I also spoke in detail about the services of Islamic Azad University and its help in solving the problem of higher education in the country and the youth and the development of science and technology and jobs in the country. I passed through the crowd of students and responded to their feelings.

I went to my office. I read the reports. Akhvi Mohammad, [executive vice president] came and asked us to go to Lalon on Friday; I accepted He expressed concern about the state of management and decision-making in the government and the weakness of the president's office. Mr. [Masoud] Mahmoudi, the new governor of Kerman, came. He reported on the state of the province and the double economic recession, due to the pistachio frost and the problem of settlement of the nomads of Kahnuj and Jiroft and drug [trafficking], and he reported on the Haft Bagh Mahan-Kerman project and the new Bam citadel.

In the evening, the members of the Audit Committee of the Parliament came. They expressed their displeasure with the weakness and unplanned nature of the parliament.

Mr. [Abbas] Maliki came and again complained about the behavior of Mr. [Kamal] Kharazi in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the dismissal of most of the deputies and managers, and he told about the way he worked in the leadership office and asked for my opinion on preparing a leadership speech at the meeting of heads of Islamic countries. I made comments. He described Mr. [Mohammed] Fazel Lankarani and his interest to me and asked us to meet him during our trip to Qom and expressed his willingness to cooperate with Fazeh in the administration of Zan newspaper.

Mr. Hossein Marashi, [the representative of Kerman] came and gave a report, regarding the opposition of some parliamentarians to Mr. Karbaschi, [Tehran Mayor] going to the parliament and the chairman's withdrawal from the invitation and the news of the meetings held by agents and leftist groups on how to deal with the pressure they have on them through the pressure on the Tehran Municipality, and he said that the meeting put him in contact with me.

In foreign reports, special attention is paid to the British car that was able to move on the ground at supersonic speed.