Afghan President Hamid Karzai backed a proposed security pact with the United States on Thursday that will see up to 15,000 foreign troops stay in the war-torn country, but said it would not be signed until after next year’s election.
A grand assembly of tribal chieftains, community elders and politicians began four days of debating the bilateral security agreement (BSA), which will shape Washington’s future military presence in Afghanistan. Hours before the meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the two sides had finally agreed the text of the pact after months of difficult negotiations.
If the “loya jirga” assembly approves the BSA, it must then be passed by the Afghan parliament. It has been touted as vital to the country’s future after 2014, when the bulk of NATO’s 75,000 troops will pull out. The Taliban insurgency this year has reached levels of violence not seen since 2010, according to the UN.
Karzai urged the 2,500 delegates to consider Afghanistan’s “future prosperity” as they made their decision, saying the deal gave the country a chance to move on after more than 30 years of war. “The agreement gives us a chance to transition into stability,” he said.
"This agreement provides us a transitional period to reach stability in the next ten years ahead of us." He signalled yet another delay to the pact, which Washington had wanted completed by the end of October, saying it would only be signed "when our elections are conducted, correctly and with dignity".
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said the US will continue to respect "Afghan sovereignty" under a new security agreement. Obama, in a letter to Karzai, also said the US military will not conduct raids on Afghan homes except under "extraordinary circumstances" involving urgent risks to US nationals.