Afghan constitution gets final push for public input

KABUL, Afghanistan -- By plane, car, even donkey, thousands of copies of Afghanistan's draft constitution are being sent to remote villages as the government tries to win support for the document from a fractured and diverse population.

A day after unveiling the long-awaited draft, Afghanistan's constitutional commission said Tuesday that last-minute comments will be taken into account before the final version is submitted to a loya jirga, or grand council, in December for ratification.

"For the first time, Afghani-stan is experiencing democracy," Foreign Minister Abdullah said. "It will not be an easy task."

Some 107,000 copies of the 50-page document are being printed, of which 5,000 will bear an official stamp to guarantee against forgeries. The stamped copies are being sent to far corners of the country, from remote mountain villages to desert flats, to give as many people as possible the opportunity to comment.

Afghans appear eager to do that. On the streets of Kabul, kiosks quickly sold out of newspapers that printed the entire text.

-- From wire reports