Press TV
November 23, 2013
Karzai ‘aware of’ US suspicious measures
Audio
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has postponed signing a pact with the United States until April, when presidential election in Afghanistan is to be held, as he believes the US may secretly be planning to help some “Taliban elements” get into the next Afghan government, says Rick Rozoff from Stop NATO International.
Karzai has rejected a US demand to sign a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) by the end of the year, sticking to his stance that the pact should be signed after the 2014 elections.
Rozoff told Press TV on Saturday that the Afghan president is aware that Washington is providing “funding and perhaps some logistical support” for some elements of the Taliban, and fears that the new government “might include” those elements.
The US said on Thursday it wants the key security pact approved and signed by Kabul by the end of 2013. “Failure to get this [agreement] approved and signed by the end of the year would prevent the United States and our allies from being able to plan for a post-2014 presence,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
Under the BSA, US troops would be allowed to remain in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 withdrawal deadline. Kabul has agreed to US military operations under special circumstances and American troops’ immunity from prosecution in Afghanistan.
Anti-US sentiments have been on the rise in Afghanistan due to the deadly night raids carried out by the US and other foreign troops on Afghan homes. Afghan people have held several angry demonstrations against the deal.
Source