More Progress for Freedom

AP: Elected Parliament in Afghanistan Convenes---

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's first popularly elected parliament in more than three decades convened Monday, marking a major step toward democracy following the ouster of the hardline Taliban.
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After the delegates were sworn in, President Hamid Karzai called the gathering a display of Afghan unity.

"This gathering shows that all of the people of Afghanistan are unified," Karzai said. "This is an important step toward democracy."

He said the approval of a constitution and the establishment of the National Assembly "bring us all under one roof to discuss our problems."

The 249-seat body is an eclectic mix of tribal leaders, Westernized former refugees, warlords, women, and ethnic minorities, in itself a victory for a nation recovering from a ruinous civil war.

Afghans voted for the lower house in September, and also elected provincial councils that then chose two-thirds of the 102-seat upper chamber. Karzai appointed the remaining 34.