Afghanistan's Loya Jirga gathering of traditional leaders was given the task of selecting a new transitional government for the country at the conference in Bonn last December which followed the fall of the Taliban regime.
The president selected by the meeting, Mr Hamid Karzai, who up to now has been the country's interim leader, this week announced a new cabinet and a commission to select a new parliament ahead of general elections to be held in 18 months' time. Discussion continues on precisely who should be in both bodies after he said not everyone who is interested could be accommodated.
The difficulties faced by the gathering vividly illustrate the problems confronting Afghanistan. Delegates complained of pressure by warlords and intelligence services preventing them from expressing their opinions and preferences. Language barriers stopped effective communication. The patchwork of Afghan tribes and ethnic groups was well represented at the Loya Jirga, but competition between them is intense.
Mr Karzai's administration is hampered by its lack of internationally-backed security reach outside Kabul, which has been vetoed by the United States. That makes him vulnerable to pressure from the powerful northern tribes and their warlords who (with US backing) have a strong hold on the existing administration, frustrating the ambition of his own majority Pashtun tribe. The compromise proposal involving US training for a new Afghan army and German training for a new police force do not compensate for that.
There has been confusion about the precise mandate given by the Bonn conference to the gathering. Many of the 1,600 delegates assumed they would be choosing a new cabinet and helping to nominate the parliament, whereas Mr Karzai had a more restrictive interpretation of the Loya Jirga's task. By announcing key cabinet appointments and initiating a process to nominate a parliament he has shown considerable leadership ability - and the Loya Jirga demonstrated a real role in channelling the reawakening of politics after years of Taliban rule. Afghanistan still remains vulnerable to political disintegration and must respond to external influences brought to bear on its future by all the neighbours and large powers involved. For that it needs continuing international help and solidarity.