Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Afghanistan's national council approved a constitution paving the way for democratic elections, in a move hailed by U.S. President George W. Bush, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The council, or loya jirga, yesterday agreed on a constitution creating a presidential system of government after more than 500 delegates debated the proposal for three weeks in the capital, Kabul.

The approval is an ``historic step forward,'' Bush said yesterday in a statement released by the White House. The success of the loya jirga is ``the success of the whole Afghan nation,'' the Associated Press cited Karzai as saying.

Afghanistan is attempting to establish democracy in the country of more than 28 million people two years after the U.S.- led war against terrorism ousted the Taliban regime that ruled for six years. The country, which has undergone more than two decades of civil war, is dominated by warlords who control most areas outside Kabul.

``A democratic Afghanistan will serve the interests and just aspirations of all of the Afghan people and help ensure that terror finds no further refuge in that proud land,'' Bush said in his statement. ``This new constitution marks a historic step forward, and we will continue to assist the Afghan people as they build a free and prosperous future.''

Presidential elections are scheduled to take place in Afghanistan in June. Delegates at the loya jirga said elections for a two-house national assembly created under the constitution will probably be held six months after the presidential vote, AP reported yesterday from Kabul.

``The president will be powerful, the decisions will be his,'' AP cited Karzai as saying. The national assembly will be there ``to help if he makes any mistakes,'' Karzai said, according to AP.

Annan's Approval

The loya jirga completed a complex process and its vote is an ``historic achievement,'' Annan said in a statement carried on the UN's Web site.

``This is an important step in the peace process that justifies the commitment of the Afghan people and the international community to date and which must be sustained, if not increased,'' Annan said in the statement.

Last Updated: January 4, 2004 18:30 EST