London (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been setting out his vision for the country in a speech to the loya jirga, or national assembly. Karzai called the four-day assembly to sound out tribal elders on a long-term pact with the U.S. military. He has already been critical of NATO, calling on limits to the remit of foreign troops. "We want our sovereignty from today," he told the meeting. CNN correspondents say the assembly is considered by many as an important step towards any possible peace deal with elements of the insurgency, and a test of Karzai's strength as a cohesive leader.
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Jirgas originated as a way of resolving differences between different Pashtun tribes
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Gareth Price says a criticism of the loya jirga is that it sidelines democratic institutions
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Price adds that Karzai needs to demonstrate that he has wider support among traditional power structures
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He says the power of tribal elites is going to remain a factor in Afghan politics for a while
The 250 members of @placeholder's lower house are marginalized by the 1,800 non-elected attendees of the meeting.