Afghan president says US wants to keep 9 bases
Source: Agencies |
May 10, 2013, Friday
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THE US wants to keep nine bases in Afghanistan after American combat troops withdraw in 2014 and the Afghan government will let them as long as it gets "security and economic guarantees," President Hamid Karzai said yesterday in his first public offer in talks about the future relationship between the two uneasy allies.
US officials have made no final announcement about how many troops might remain in Afghanistan after 2014, although they have said as many as 12,000 US and coalition forces could remain to train and advise Afghans and continue counterterrorism operations against extremists.
The Afghan government would have to approve any such decision, but months of negotiations over a bilateral security agreement have been troubled with disagreements over handing over detainees and anger over misbehavior by US troops.
"We are giving the bases, nine bases they want from Afghanistan in all of Afghanistan," Karzai said yesterday at a ceremony at Kabul University.
But in return, Afghanistan wants a US commitment to boost its security, strengthen its armed forces and promise long-term economic development.
"It is our condition that they bring security and bring it quickly and strengthen the Afghan forces and the economy," he said. "When they do this, we are ready to sign" a partnership agreement.
Karzai did not refer to "existing" bases in his comments, saying only that the US has requested nine bases in the country.
A senior US official said earlier that the US and Karzai are at odds over his request that the United States guarantee it would side with Afghanistan if neighboring Pakistan poses a threat. So far the US is refusing, the official said.
During his speech marking the 80th anniversary of Kabul University, Karzai warned Pakistan against sending its forces across the border or trying to force Afghanistan to accept the Durand partition line, the 19th century demarcation between present day Afghanistan and Pakistan, as the international border.
US officials have made no final announcement about how many troops might remain in Afghanistan after 2014, although they have said as many as 12,000 US and coalition forces could remain to train and advise Afghans and continue counterterrorism operations against extremists.
The Afghan government would have to approve any such decision, but months of negotiations over a bilateral security agreement have been troubled with disagreements over handing over detainees and anger over misbehavior by US troops.
"We are giving the bases, nine bases they want from Afghanistan in all of Afghanistan," Karzai said yesterday at a ceremony at Kabul University.
But in return, Afghanistan wants a US commitment to boost its security, strengthen its armed forces and promise long-term economic development.
"It is our condition that they bring security and bring it quickly and strengthen the Afghan forces and the economy," he said. "When they do this, we are ready to sign" a partnership agreement.
Karzai did not refer to "existing" bases in his comments, saying only that the US has requested nine bases in the country.
A senior US official said earlier that the US and Karzai are at odds over his request that the United States guarantee it would side with Afghanistan if neighboring Pakistan poses a threat. So far the US is refusing, the official said.
During his speech marking the 80th anniversary of Kabul University, Karzai warned Pakistan against sending its forces across the border or trying to force Afghanistan to accept the Durand partition line, the 19th century demarcation between present day Afghanistan and Pakistan, as the international border.
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