Analysts Say Karzai Is Taking U.S.-Afghanistan Deal Hostage

TOLOnews

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is taking hostage a deal that would ensure U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan post-2014 in favor of his personal legacy and putting pressure on the United States, Afghan analysts and political commentators said on Wednesday.

In recent remarks Karzai reiterated his preconditions for signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), but a number of analysts believe that Karzai persists on delaying the pact to pursue his personal agenda.

"President Karzai seems worried about his legacy. He does not want to be seen as someone who easily signed an important document with America," the Chairman of Afghanistan Center of Strategic Studies, Dawoud Muradyan, said.

Karzai's delay is having a tangible impact on Afghanistan's economy, some analysts said.

"About a month ago, we saw the first sign. The U.S. administration sought 2.9 billion dollars from the U.S. Congress, only 1.2 billion dollars was approved, the other 1.7 billion dollars was rejected. Now that has really created a huge gap in the national budget of Afghanistan," political commentator Mahmoud Saiqal said.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Karzai urged he will not sign the security agreement, unless the US kicks off the peace negotiation process. According to Karzai, US president Barack Obama told him that he will wait for Karzai's successor to sign the BSA.