Kandahar, Afghanistan ? More than 100 women bared their faces in public Saturday, a startling sight in old Kandahar, to meet and talk about the long road to a broader place for women in Afghan society.

The unveiled teachers, nurses, aid workers, housewives and others were brought together under the auspices of the United Nations and the Afghan Women’s Assn.

The gathering adopted a resolution calling for strong women’s representation from Kandahar in the “loya jirga,” the national assembly that will convene in June to establish a transitional government for 18 months, leading to elections. The previous government, of the hardline Islamic Taliban militia, was ousted last December by a U.S.-led military campaign.

The women heard encouraging words from the new governor of Kandahar province, which was the spiritual center of the Taliban and is considered traditional Afghanistan’s conservative heartland.

“You can demonstrate in this city for your rights,” Gov. Gul Agha told them. “No power can take your rights. You’re free to speak out. Struggle to defend your rights.” A loud murmur rippled through the assembly.

The women had draped their powder-blue burqas  an all-enveloping head-to-toe veil  over the backs of their chairs and sat in simple black or white scarves. Meanwhile, on the streets of Kandahar, not a single Afghan woman could be seen moving about without the billowing burqa.

The burqa has long been traditional here. But under the Taliban’s five years of rule, restrictions became more severe, as women were largely forbidden to work outside the home.