Afghanis have hammered out their differences:

KABUL (Reuters) - Rival Afghan factions agreed to a national constitution Sunday, clearing the way for the first free elections after nearly a quarter of a century of war and fundamentalist rule by the Taliban.

The agreement at the Loya Jirga, or Grand Assembly, followed weeks of bitter squabbling that exposed deep ethnic rifts and forced some compromise on the U.S. vision of a strong presidency.

"We came close to a major problem, but it was resolved by the people of Afghanistan," assembly chairman Sibghatullah Mojaddidi told the 502 delegates meeting under a giant white tent on a college campus in Kabul.

"We are hoping to be able to unite together as one nation and to be able to overcome challenges of the future."

He did not give details on how the deadlock was resolved but said the full assembly would approve the charter later in the day, ending three weeks of debate on the role of Islam, rights of women and the political system in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Democracy in Afghanistan? I am hoping this gets alot of attention, but alas, it will not.