Loya Jirga – a partial success

New Afghan President Hamid Karzai has used the Loya Jirga to suggest that a number of commissions be set up to discuss the government of Afghanistan, while members of the assembly abandoned it, furious that their views were not heard.

Hamid Karzai intends to create a climate of transparency in his commissions, which will analyse defence, radio and television, international aid, administrative reform and restitution of goods to those who had money or property confiscated under the Taleban regime.

He has urged each region to select four or five members to discuss the composition of a future parliament, and how to elect its members. However, not everyone was happy, numerous members having abandoned the Loya Jirga because their opinions were not heard and due to this, the national assembly, which was supposed to have been established last Friday, has still not seen any progress on Monday.

As Homayun Assefy, a dissident member of the Afghan royal family, pointed out, “He (Karzai) is trying to reach a compromise, but this is difficult in the present atmosphere, with many delegates thinking everything was decided before the Loya Jirga”.

Timofei BYELO PRAVDA.Ru