KABUL, June 16: Afghan head of state Hamid Karzai will address Loya Jirga delegates on Monday after the grand assembly failed to elect a parliament following six days of talks, chairman Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar said.

“Karzai himself will come and talk to you on Monday morning on the state structure which includes the council (parliament) as well,” Qasimyar told delegates on Sunday before closing the session for the day.

Delegates have been split over how to choose members of the 111-member parliament which is expected to convene shortly after the Loya Jirga, which began meeting on June 10.

Proposals include choosing either two representatives from each province, one from each district or around 10 per cent of the Loya Jirga delegates to form the council.

Mr Qasimyar admitted the issue was highly controversial after a stormy debate on the topic.

Delegates and eyewitnesses said, describing the heated argument as the most serious incident since the start of the Loya Jirga last Tuesday.

“There is disagreement as to who should be a parliament member. Everyone wants to be there. It is a chaotic situation,” one delegate said.

The 1,500 delegates have agreed on one thing so far: that Hamid Karzai is the best man to lead the country from 23 years of conflict to peace and stability.

Since the assembly voted on Thursday to elect Karzai the leader for the next 18 months before general elections, the assembly’s debate under a big, white tent in Kabul has bogged down into endless speeches on mostly parochial concerns.

The assembly — a rare convocation of community leaders from throughout the 32 provinces along with overseas representatives — is now scheduled to end a day late on Monday.

Heated debate forced the brief suspension of the Loya Jirga tribal council on Sunday morning when delegates swarmed the central podium to voice their opinions about how a new national council should be formed.

Deputy Loya Jirga chairman Sima Simar proposed scrapping the proposed 111-member Shoora-i-Meli (national council) which would be formed by selecting two delegate representatives from each of the 32 provinces. Then remaining seats would be filled by people selected from civil society groups, universities and other institutions in much the same way the Loya Jirga itself is composed. — Agencies