KABUL - Afghanistan’s Consultative Peace Jirga opened this morning in the capital Kabul, with 1,600 participants from across the country taking part in the three-day event aimed at developing a common vision about the way forward for bringing peace to Afghanistan.

President Hamid Karzai opened the Jirga with a speech in which he said, “The eye of hope of this nation is awaiting your decision.” The President, alternately speaking in the official languages of Dari and Pashtu, stressed that Afghanistan work for peace and that it maintain its relationship with the international community.

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura, and representatives of the diplomatic community attended the opening ceremony.

“The Peace Jirga is an important stepping stone in developing the Afghan-led peace process,” de Mistura told reporters after the opening ceremony. “The international community, and in particular the United Nations, is fully supportive of this Afghan initiative. We are confident that the results from these discussions will lead to the next steps in a national dialogue to bring peace in Afghanistan.”

The United Nations has provided technical support to the Consultative Peace Jirga.

Participants of the Peace Jirga, including about 300 women, will break into 28 working committees which will prepare and present recommendations on how to move forward in the peace process.