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Karzai Wants to Sign BSA: Daudzai
The Afghan Minister of Interior Affairs Mohammad Umar Daudzai in a joint press conference on Saturday said that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) is to the benefit of both Afghanistan and the United States and President Hamid Karzai wants to sign it.
His comment comes as Karzai has remained firm on his conditions for signing of the BSA, but Daudzai urged the Unites States to send a delegation to Kabul for talks on the BSA and adding that Afghanistan stands on its friendship commitments.
"President Karzai every time says that he would like to sign the agreement with America. He knows that the signing of the agreement is important and he also know its disadvantages of not signing it," he said.
Gen. Mark Milley, commander of the ISAF Joint Command said that political leaders of Afghanistan and US are "negotiating the BSA" and he hopes for the signing of the agreement very soon.
The BSA was approved by a Loya Jirga in Kabul back in November, but Karzai has said he will not sign the accord until the US meets a set of new preconditions, including advancing the Taliban peace process and ending unilateral operations involving Afghan homes.
In a meeting on Thursday regarding Afghanistan, US Vice President Joe Biden reportedly favored a total commitment of only 2,000 troops after the NATO combat mission ends in December, a stance said to be indicative of a broader shift that has occurred in Washington in light of the ongoing stalemate over the Kabul-Washington security pact.
According to analysts, 2,000 US troops, a significant reduction from the 8,000-10,000 previously discussed, would only be able to maintain security for the diplomatic assets of the U.S. in Afghanistan. Meaning, such a residual force would not be able to meet the continuing training and logistical support needs of the Afghan forces.
US military officials told the Wall Street Journal that the deadlock facing the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) has begun compelling policymakers to shift their support toward a less ambitious presence in Afghanistan post-2014 than previously imagined.
According to US diplomats, the longer the BSA remains unsigned, the more Washington will have to begin to plan for the "zero-option", which would see all US troops withdrawn by the end of the year.
Biden has always favored a reduction of the US's role in Afghanistan, more so than many of the top military officials in Washington. Since the start of President Barack Obama's tenure in the White House, Biden has been a champion of "ending the wars", referring to the US engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan inherited from the George W. Bush administration.
There are around 47,000 US troops in Afghanistan helping over 300,000 Afghan security forces fight the insurgency.
The Afghan Minister of Interior Affairs Mohammad Umar Daudzai in a joint press conference on Saturday said that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) is to the benefit of both Afghanistan and the United States and President Hamid Karzai wants to sign it.
His comment comes as Karzai has remained firm on his conditions for signing of the BSA, but Daudzai urged the Unites States to send a delegation to Kabul for talks on the BSA and adding that Afghanistan stands on its friendship commitments.
"President Karzai every time says that he would like to sign the agreement with America. He knows that the signing of the agreement is important and he also know its disadvantages of not signing it," he said.
Gen. Mark Milley, commander of the ISAF Joint Command said that political leaders of Afghanistan and US are "negotiating the BSA" and he hopes for the signing of the agreement very soon.
The BSA was approved by a Loya Jirga in Kabul back in November, but Karzai has said he will not sign the accord until the US meets a set of new preconditions, including advancing the Taliban peace process and ending unilateral operations involving Afghan homes.
In a meeting on Thursday regarding Afghanistan, US Vice President Joe Biden reportedly favored a total commitment of only 2,000 troops after the NATO combat mission ends in December, a stance said to be indicative of a broader shift that has occurred in Washington in light of the ongoing stalemate over the Kabul-Washington security pact.
According to analysts, 2,000 US troops, a significant reduction from the 8,000-10,000 previously discussed, would only be able to maintain security for the diplomatic assets of the U.S. in Afghanistan. Meaning, such a residual force would not be able to meet the continuing training and logistical support needs of the Afghan forces.
US military officials told the Wall Street Journal that the deadlock facing the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) has begun compelling policymakers to shift their support toward a less ambitious presence in Afghanistan post-2014 than previously imagined.
According to US diplomats, the longer the BSA remains unsigned, the more Washington will have to begin to plan for the "zero-option", which would see all US troops withdrawn by the end of the year.
Biden has always favored a reduction of the US's role in Afghanistan, more so than many of the top military officials in Washington. Since the start of President Barack Obama's tenure in the White House, Biden has been a champion of "ending the wars", referring to the US engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan inherited from the George W. Bush administration.
There are around 47,000 US troops in Afghanistan helping over 300,000 Afghan security forces fight the insurgency.
