Afghanistan: Signing Timeline Still Unresolved, Karzai Firm on Preconditions

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After President Hamid Karzai caught U.S. officials off-guard on Thursday when he said the Kabul-Washington security pact would not be signed until after the April elections, there remains no resolution to the timeline debate. While U.S. officials have said the agreement needs to be finalized before the end of the year, Karzai has refuted those assertions and reemphasized his preconditions for the pact to be sealed. According to officials in Karzai's office, in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Karzai maintained that there was no timeline for signing the agreement. He was reported to have repeated once again that if the Loya Jirga approves the BSA, it would not be signed until after the April elections. "There are no timelines from the government of Afghanistan's side," Deputy Spokesperson for President Karzai Adela Raz said. According to procedure, whatever whatever decision the Loya Jirga makes, which it is expected to share on Sunday, both house of the Afghan National Assembly would have to approve the accord before it could be signed by Karzai. U.S. officials were caught off-guard when Karzai said the agreement wouldn't be signed until after the elections earlier this week. They have urged Afghan officials to reconsider that stance as they argue plans for residual troop forces and other logistics must be worked out before the spring, as the NATO combat mission draws to an end in December of 2014. The U.S. would be expected to keep some 10,000-15,000 troops in Afghanistan post-2014 for training, advising and assisting the Afghan forces as well as maintaining a counterterrorism initiative against groups like al-Qaeda, if the BSA is signed According to Raz, Karzai also spoke to Secretary Kerry about his continued preconditions for the agreement to be finalized between the two nations. "There are preconditions that the United States should consider; support of the peace process, end to operations in the houses of Afghans, transparent elections and peace and stability in Afghanistan," she said. The issue of unilateral U.S. operations post-2014 proved a hangnail earlier this week in the lead up to the Jirga, when negotiations on the final text of the BSA between Karzai and U.S. negotiators reached an impasse on the issue. It wasn't until President Barack Obama wrote a letter to Karzai acknowledging past mistakes and assuring civilian life would be protected, which Karzai read allowed on the Jirga's opening day, that the debate appeared to be put to rest. It is unclear how the Karzai office expects the U.S. to guarantee transparent elections without the existence of a security pact, though it is likely that precondition implies assistance under the rubric of the NATO combat mission, which does not end until December. A number of Presidential candidates, who are participating in the Jirga, have spoke out in favor of the BSA, and an expedited signing of it. "The current situation that the people of Afghanistan are in - investments are leaving, people are emigrating - these issues have made the future more concerning," Presidential hopeful and former Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said. "For resolving these concerns and the continuation of foreign aid to Afghanistan, it requires the agreement to be signed soon." U.S. officials have indicated 4.1 billion USD in aid to the Afghan military could be cut if the BSA is not signed, and other NATO allies have indicated similar stances. The potential loss of foreign financing, which the Afghan security forces almost entirely depend on, is one of the reasons many proponents of the accord think it is so critical for Afghanistan. "Considering the political problems and challenges, it would be better to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement prior to the elections," First Vice Presidential candidate of Zalmai Rassoul and the only female Governor in Afghanistan Habeeba Surabi said. Afghanistan has been consumed by debate over the BSA in recent weeks, as the Loya Jirga convenes some 2,500 leaders from around the country to deliberate over it. The Taliban, Hezb-e-Islami and Jabhe Wahdat Milli have all come out against the security pact. But on Saturday it seemed Kabul residents were generally in favor of the BSA. "If this agreement is signed soon, the interfering of neighboring countries will end, Afghanistan's economy will improve and youth will get employed," a Kabul resident named Shahwali told TOLOnews. "Afghanistan is a weak country, it needs the support of a strong country like the United States," another Kabul resident named Mirwais said.