KABUL, Jan 2: UN and US officials were locked in behind-the-scene negotiations with Afghan leaders on Friday in a last minute effort to break the deadlock at the Loya Jirga over contentious issues in the draft constitution, delegates told Dawn.
They said that the UN special envoy to Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi and US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad met the Afghan leaders and discussed Karzai's move to introduce strong presidential system in the war-ravaged country.
The meeting took place after a boycott by about 200 of the 502-member delegates of the Loya Jirga to vote on amendments to the draft constitution. Delegates spearheaded by Jamiat-i-Islami Afghanistan of former Afghan president Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani were seeking to dilute the powers of the president and strengthen the parliament.
They believed that a strong presidential system could lead the country towards dictatorship. Karzai supporters insisted that the country, ravaged by decades of civil war and foreign occupation , needed a strong president.
There were also disagreements over articles relating to national languages, printing of currency, role of Shariah, national anthem and dual nationality of cabinet ministers.
Uzbeks represented by chief security advisor to President Karzai wanted their language to be declared a national language besides Pushto and Dari. EU special envoy Francis Vendrell expressed his concern over ethnic polarization, describing it 'very dangerous' but hoped that the problem would be solved soon.
A delegate privy to the Friday meeting said the UN and US diplomats were making efforts to bring the two camps to an agreeable formula acceptable to all. "We have reached an understanding on some issues.
However, there are issues which still need to be resolved," Engr. Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, deputy to former mujahideen leader Prof. Abdur Rab Rasul Sayyaf said. He said that his group supported voting on all contentious issues in a democratic manner.
The Jirga, which began on Dec 14, would complete its third week if it meets again on Saturday to vote on amendments to the draft constitution.