On Tuesday (2 June), the Jirga called by President Karzai will meet in Kabul. This Peace Jirga is to look at the national reconciliation and reintegration policy drawn up by the Afghan Government.

The meeting of representatives of the Afghan tribes, politicians and religious leaders is to be held in a traditional Afghan tent which was refitted using funding provided by the Federal Foreign Office.

The tent was provided by Germany and the United Nations in 2002 to house the first Afghan Jirga. In 2003 it was also the venue for the second Loya Jirga which focused inter alia on Afghanistan’s new Constitution.

In the run-up to the current Jirga, the Afghan Government asked Germany once more for support to refit and erect the tent complex. The Federal Foreign Office commissioned the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German technical cooperation) with the work to repair and equip the tent providing a budget of 480,000 euro.

With the help of Afghan businesses, work was done to improve the tent complex and to renew electrical installations as well as conference and broadcasting technology. Moreover, long-term water and electricity supplies were set up and chairs and other equipment provided for the tent.