What are prospects for Afghanistan's long-awaited peace jirga?

Talks have progressed with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of another insurgent faction, but he recently rejected a new draft proposal for reintegrating fighters.

The plan envisions using an international trust fund to pay for projects in the communities of militants who agree to disarm and accept the government and Constitution. Some fighters would be given jobs in a civilian conservation corps doing work like clearing irrigation ditches and planting trees.

It's unclear if the reintegration proposal will be tabled at the jirga.

Connected to Karzai

In fact, the actual agenda remains a mystery, says Ms. Kofi.

Some organizational details have emerged from those attending an orientation on Sunday. The 1,600 attendees have been split into 28 groups, each including about 10 women. One attendee says her group of about 50 people included mostly elders from many different provinces, including leaders elected to serve on village development councils and a few university lecturers. Many had served in past jirgas, and were picked either by the presidential palace or by governors (who are appointed by the president).

Kofi says many of the attendees are relatives of people in the palace. Mr. Pashtun estimates that about a quarter are appointees not based on merit. Political parties are not represented – instead, MPs will attend as individuals. And the main opposition candidate in last year's elections, Abdullah Abdullah, was not invited.

All of the jirga groups will be given the same discussion points and about a day and half to talk together, according to the orientation. On the final day, the group discussions will be incorporated into a final statement from the jirga organizers.

Nonnegotiables

The government already has some positions staked out in advance, according to Mr. Amin.

"All the Taliban who are Afghans but are unhappy for certain reasons, they have the right to come back to the government. But if they have a link or roots somewhere else beyond the borders of the country, then they can't be negotiated with," he says. "Whoever they are, things we cannot negotiate with them are the Constitution of Afghanistan and the advances made [since 2001]. We cannot compromise our freedom of women, freedom of media."

The area more open for debate seems to be the insurgency's causes and remedies. "It is not all about jobless people joining the opposition. There are a lot of factors involved,” he says.

None of the government positions are new, although a key insurgent demand is to reopen discussion on the Constitution. That particularly worries women who view the Constitution as a safeguard of basic rights denied under the previous Taliban government.

Women delegates met Monday to formulate a joint strategy heading into the jirga. The women will try to elect female heads of the jirga groups and will argue that any rewards given to ex-fighters must be shared with their wives, daughters, and mothers.

Related stories:

• How NATO hopes to undercut the Afghan Taliban
• Afghan warlord Hekmatyar talks peace, but brings little to table
• Afghanistan news coverage

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