Afghan delegates on Thursday began the second day of debate on ways to end Afghanistan's nearly nine-year conflict at a peace assembly in Kabul, DPA reported.
Security was tightened around the capital a day after Taliban militants attacked the site of the assembly with rockets and suicide bombers minutes after the start of the conference, known as a peace jirga. The assaults did not stop the conference, but it sent a clear message that the militants were not interested in peace talks.
More than 1,600 delegates - including tribal elders, members of parliament and provincial councils, religious leaders and members of rights groups - gathered in a large tent at the Polytechnic University in western Kabul. They were debating a 36-page reconciliation plan drafted by President Hamid Karzai.
The delegates were divided into 28 commissions and were scheduled to debate the draft behind close doors, said Gul Agha Ahmadi, a spokesman for the jirga. The media were not allowed to report on their discussions Thursday.
During his opening speech Wednesday, Karzai called on Taliban fighters to lay down their arms, vowing that his government would reintegrate them into civilian life.
He made an exception, however, saying those Taliban who were involved in attacks on civilians and those who were part of the al-Qaeda network could not be forgiven and were not reconcilable.
Karzai called on the delegates to come up with suggestions that could lead the country toward lasting peace.
The three-day jirga was due to end Friday with a resolution that is hoped to provide Karzai with a blueprint to begin his long-awaited national reconciliation programme.