KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An All-Afghan conference that brought Afghanistan's warring sides together appears to get the country a step closer to peace with a statement that laid out the foundations for a roadmap to end to nearly 18 years of war.

Washington is hoping the roadmap can be decided by Sept. 1, also allowing the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops.

In a statement finalized in the early hours Tuesday, a much touted two-day meeting in Doha, Qatar, attended by Taliban, representatives of Afghanistan's government, women and members of the country's nascent civil society, agreed a post-war Afghanistan would have an Islamic legal system, protect women's rights "within the Islamic framework of Islamic values," and ensure equality for all ethnic groups.

The next step is to start negotiations.