Woman elected to bureau of Afghanistan's Loya Jirga tribal council - UN

One woman was named a Vice-Chair of Afghanistan's Constitutional Loya Jirga tribal council, which on its second day of work finished electing its bureau, the United Nations mission in the country reported today.

In a further sign of progress for women in the country - where under the Taliban they had been banned from even working - two of the bureau's three Secretaries are also female, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

On Sunday when the session began, a former Afghan President, Sequatullah Mujadidi, was elected as Chair of the council.

Under the UN-brokered Bonn Agreement, the Loya Jirga is tasked with drafting a new constitution for Afghanistan. Asked today about the role of Islam in this process, Mr. Mujadidi stressed the moderate nature of that religion.

"Unfortunately, some extremists have translated Islam and given the wrong picture to the world," he said. "Islam means peace."