Afghan president Karzai to open assembly on peace

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Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Afghan president Karzai to open assembly on peace
By Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy Newspapers Tue Jun 1, 3:20 pm ET

KABUL, Afghanistan — Thousands of police have fanned out across Kabul as the Afghan capital prepares for Wednesday's opening of a national assembly that President Hamid Karzai hopes will give him a mandate to pursue talks with the Taliban .

While the three-day assembly isn't expected to produce any dramatic breakthroughs, Karzai and his Western allies are banking on the gathering, known as a jirga, to provide a psychological boost for the Afghan president as he prepares for a potentially pivotal summer.

"This is a big week for Afghanistan ," said Mark Sedwill, the former British Ambassador to Afghanistan who now serves as the senior civilian representative for NATO in the country.

About 1,600 specially selected Afghan politicians, religious leaders, tribal elders and civic officials will gather Wednesday in a special air conditioned meeting tent for what's expected to be a charged debate over talks with Karzai's insurgent rivals.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100601/wl_mcclatchy/3522359

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1. NYT: Violence Shakes Afghan Assembly

June 2, 2010
Violence Shakes Afghan Assembly
By ALISSA RUBIN and CARLOTTA GALL

KABUL, Afghanistan —As rockets landed nearby, President Hamid Karzai opened a national consultative peace assembly on Wednesday morning with the goal of winning popular backing for his plan to persuade Taliban and insurgent foot soldiers to stop fighting.

In his speech, which was punctuated by a rocket that exploded close by, forcing Mr. Karzai to tell the audience not to worry, he spoke directly to the Taliban, calling on them to join the government.

Within minutes of his departure from the tent where the gathering was being held, a larger explosion shook the structure and gunfire could be heard in a nearby neighborhood.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to The Associated Press.

In Mr. Karzai’s speech to the traditional assembly, known as a jirga, he called the Taliban “brothers” and “dear Talibs,” and described their flight to Pakistan and their fighting as a reaction to injustices done by local Afghans who had “disturbed them “ and by foreign troops.

“To those Taliban compelled to flee by the government’s and foreign troops’ mistakes, they are welcome and can come and join us,” Mr. Karzai said. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/world/asia/03afghan.html