Delegates Begin Afghan Constitution Talks

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Delegates Begin Afghan Constitution Talks

By STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press Writer
Published December 13, 2003, 3:44 PM CST

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Delegates assembling from every corner of Afghanistan on Saturday faced tough debate in hammering out the first post-Taliban constitution, the bedrock of what Afghans hope will be a better life after years of war.

Under intense security, some 500 representatives -- from village mullahs to Western-educated exiles -- must work out the role of Afghan women, Islam's place in politics and the sharing of power in a nation accustomed to fighting over it.

The constitutional loya jirga, or grand council, which opens on Sunday, is a key step in the two-year drive to stabilize the country under an empowered central government, and will lead to landmark national elections planned for June.

For U.S. officials pushing the process, the Afghans' experience could provide lessons for Iraq, where American administrators have faced an even tougher task in drawing up a constitution. American and Iraqi leaders have differed over how to even start drafting the document. A timetable calls for elections to choose delegates for drafting an Iraqi constitution in early 2005 -- about two years after Saddam Hussein's fall.

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