Kabul, Dec 20: President Hamid Karzai today
hailed the progress made by a historic convention debating
Afghanistan's new draft constitution although divisive issues
such as the powers of the president are still to be thrashed
out as the meeting entered its seventh day.
Karzai said the Loya Jirga was
making good progress on debate over the 160-article document
that will pave the way for the country's transition to
democracy at elections scheduled for June 2004.
"It's not slow progress; it's very good progress," he
told reporters at the presidential palace.
"The work of the Loya Jirga is going very well; most
committees have worked on up to 60 to 65 articles," he said.
The 502 delegates, including some 100 women, have
been divided into 10 groups to discuss the controversial
draft document before coming together for open sessions,
which are held in a huge white tent set up in the heavily
guarded Kabul Polytechnic campus.
Delegates are divided between those who support the
strong presidential system laid down in the draft and those,
including some Mujahedin (anti-Soviet fighters) factions, who
would prefer a prime minister or at least a parliament with
real teeth to counterbalance sweeping presidential powers.
Bureau Report
