Karzai Meets With Youth, Talks About Elections, BSA

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At a gathering organized for Afghan youth in Kabul on Tuesday, President Hamid Karzai spoke to a crowd of hundreds of young Afghans from around the country about the importance of the upcoming elections and the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the U.S. The gathering on Tuesday organized by the Youth Secretariat, a part of the Ministry of Information and Culture, saw over 400 hundred young Afghans from around the country converge on the capital. President Karzai said that the elections were the only way to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. He warned that if the elections were not held it would threaten the future of Afghanistan. "Elections are the strength and stability of Afghanistan and there should be no doubt whether or not the elections will be held on time," President Karzai said. Concerns about whether or not the elections will be held on time, or at all, have primarily been related to security concerns. Nevertheless, in addition to security threats, many Afghans have expressed worries about the potential for fraud and other improprieties in the elections, which were a major problem in 2009. President Karzai assured those present at the event on Tuesday that the upcoming elections would be held in a transparent manner and he would not allow any foreign entities to interfere with the process. "The elections would be impartial and no foreign entities will be allowed to interfere," Karzai said. According to a recent survey conducted by Asses, Transform and Reach Consulting in five provinces, 50% of respondents said they agreed with the statement "the foreigners might interfere in the results of the elections," while only 17% said they didn't agree. When asked about the BSA, President Karzai said that he would sign the agreement only if security is assured by it, the foreign troops can guarantee Afghan sovereignty and the strengthening of the Afghan forces. "Security must be provided and if there is an American base and security is not provided, it is not acceptable to us. Also, strengthening of the Afghan security forces and respect for national sovereignty are some of our pre-conditions," Karzai said. BSA talks were stalled back in June when the Afghan President froze them out of frustration with the U.S. over the botched attempt at negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar. Although they soon recommenced, it has been no secret that there has been tension between Washington and Kabul over them. Back in July, U.S. officials said they would give Kabul until October to finalize the agreement. It is unlikely any American troops will stay in Afghanistan after the NATO combat mission ends in 2014 if an accord is not met, which is an outcome – called the "zero option" – that the U.S. has floated in apparent attempts to put pressure on the Karzai administration. Most experts say a comprehensive withdraw of U.S. forces would be extremely dangerous for Afghan security in the coming years. Before the security transition enters its last months, however, Presidential and Provincial elections are set to take place are taking up much of the focus of the Afghan government and public. They are scheduled to take place on April 5. The nomination filing process for candidates began on Monday. With only 19 days remaining for the nomination filing process to end, news about the probable candidates is expected to start opening up over the coming weeks. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) will announce the names of the electoral candidates on October 16.