21/11/2013 11:19
U.S., Afghanistan reach security pact through '2024 and beyond'
The United States and Afghanistan have reached a deal on the final language of a bilateral security agreement, guiding the role of American troops in that south Asian nation for years to come, America's top diplomat said Wednesday, according to CNN.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the accord was reached during conversations Wednesday between himself and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Afghan leaders will hold a meeting -- known as a loya jirga, or grand assembly -- starting on Thursday to decide whether to accept or reject the deal, which lays out a limited support role for American forces beyond next year.
"They have to pass it," Kerry said. "... It's up to the people of Afghanistan."
If approved, the agreement would go into effect January 1, 2015, and last "until the end of 2024 and beyond, unless terminated" by mutual agreement and with two years notice by either party, according to a copy of the deal posted online Wednesday by the Afghan government that a U.S. official confirms is authentic.
The proposed deal contains references to respecting "Afghanistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," and adds U.S. forces "shall not target Afghan civilians, including in their homes."
But this agreement does not address past transgressions. In fact, Kerry strongly rejected a U.S. apology for operations that resulted in civilian casualties was part of the back-and-forth, as some published reports suggested, insisting "it's just not even on the table."