11:10/22:04:2010

The Afghan government announced on Wednesday a delay of nearly three weeks in holding a keenly-awaited Peace Jirga, which will now take place after President Hamid Karzai's return from his visit to the US next month.
The Consultative Peace Jirga was postponed in view of the presidential trip to Washington and the international community's concern over the outcome of the assembly, a senior official told reporters here.
The delay comes a day after US President Barack Obama's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said Karzai's meeting with his American counterpart should take place ahead of the Jirga, initially scheduled for May 2.
A framework for peace talks with Taliban and other insurgent groups will be discussed by hundreds of community leaders at the gathering.
Despite Holbrooke's announcement of the delay yesterday, Education Minister Farooq Wardak, tasked with preparations for the event, said Karzai made the decision at noon on Wednesday after a flurry of meetings with MPs, jihadi leaders and Supreme Court officials.
Wardak added an exact date of the Jirga would be set later, rejecting Holbrooke's comment that the assembly would be held on May 20, a week after Karzai returns from the United States .
"The delay is to address the concerns of the international community," who want to be more familiar with the agenda, the Jirga spokesman, Gul Aga Ahmadi, told Pajhwok Afghan News.
Karzai would discuss the details of the peace initiative with US officials and inform them that the assembly was in the interest of Afghanistan and the world at large, the spokesman said. (PAN)