Afghan president Hamid Karzai

Afghan president Hamid Karzai Photo: AP

KABUL: Two senior Taliban representatives have pledged to accept a multiparty political system and respect women's rights in future postwar governments.

They attended a two-day conference in Paris last week with Afghan parliamentarians, opposition leaders and government officials organised by a research institute.

In a declaration made public afterwards, they promised political tolerance, but criticised Kabul and the US for not being serious about their peace efforts.

They also called for a constitution based on ''the Islamic principles, national interests, social justice, and historical gains''.

Such a charter would ''guarantee, without prejudice, equal rights for all ethnic groups''.

The rebels said they did not accept the current constitution because it was ''written under the pressure of B-52 warplanes'' in 2004.

In a conciliatory note, the Taliban said they were not ''seeking an exclusive right to power. We want an all-Afghan, inclusive government,'' the statement said.

The Taliban also claimed they would respect ''women's rights'' and the role that ''Islam has given them. A woman in Islam has the right to get married, inherit, own [possessions], education, and work.''

The Taliban want direct talks with the US, and have refused to talk with the Afghan government, which they regard as a ''puppet administration''. ''Foreigners and the Kabul administration are not interested in peace,'' they said.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur