US ‘insists’ Karzai to sign deal for troops stay in Afghanistan
19 Dec 2013 4:23 AM IST
‘We’ve said that this needs to be signed as soon as possible,’ State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said, referring to the pact to govern the presence of US troops in Afghanistan beyond late 2014 when international forces will be withdrawn.
‘Our position on that hasn’t changed, and we’ll continue the discussions with President Karzai, with the Afghans about how to get this done as soon as possible,’ Harf added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry in an interview with ABC television aired on Sunday appeared to open the door to allowing Karzai’s successor to sign the bilateral security deal, saying: ‘I believe that Hamid Karzai, either he or his successor, will sign this.’
But presidential elections in Afghanistan are not due until April, and Kerry also stressed that Karzai ‘needs to sign this.’
The deal was hammered out during tough negotiations, which said it should be agreed by the end of the year. But after all the terms were agreed, Karzai backtracked and said it was up to the next president to sign it.
Pak to persuade Taliban
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ruled out military action against the Taliban on Tuesday and promised to persuade insurgents to lay down their weapons through peace negotiations. Mullah Fazlullah, the Pakistani Taliban’s new hardline leader, has rejected outright the idea of peace talks and vowed to step up attacks as part of his campaign to topple the central government and establish Islamist rule in Pakistan. The emergence of Fazlullah has prompted speculation that Pakistan might have to ditch hopes for a negotiated ceasefire and resort to military action against militants holed up in lawless ethnic Pashtun areas on the Afghan border. But on Tuesday, the government said the Taliban’s tough rhetoric did not mean negotiations had failed. ‘Their public posturing is different from what’s going on in the background,’ said Tariq Azeem, a senior official in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s team. ‘They want to appear tough but back channels show that they are also interested in talks.’ The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment. Under Fazlullah, Taliban fighters took over Pakistan’s Swat valley in 2009, imposing austere Islamic rule.
‘Our position on that hasn’t changed, and we’ll continue the discussions with President Karzai, with the Afghans about how to get this done as soon as possible,’ Harf added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry in an interview with ABC television aired on Sunday appeared to open the door to allowing Karzai’s successor to sign the bilateral security deal, saying: ‘I believe that Hamid Karzai, either he or his successor, will sign this.’
But presidential elections in Afghanistan are not due until April, and Kerry also stressed that Karzai ‘needs to sign this.’
The deal was hammered out during tough negotiations, which said it should be agreed by the end of the year. But after all the terms were agreed, Karzai backtracked and said it was up to the next president to sign it.
Pak to persuade Taliban
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ruled out military action against the Taliban on Tuesday and promised to persuade insurgents to lay down their weapons through peace negotiations. Mullah Fazlullah, the Pakistani Taliban’s new hardline leader, has rejected outright the idea of peace talks and vowed to step up attacks as part of his campaign to topple the central government and establish Islamist rule in Pakistan. The emergence of Fazlullah has prompted speculation that Pakistan might have to ditch hopes for a negotiated ceasefire and resort to military action against militants holed up in lawless ethnic Pashtun areas on the Afghan border. But on Tuesday, the government said the Taliban’s tough rhetoric did not mean negotiations had failed. ‘Their public posturing is different from what’s going on in the background,’ said Tariq Azeem, a senior official in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s team. ‘They want to appear tough but back channels show that they are also interested in talks.’ The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment. Under Fazlullah, Taliban fighters took over Pakistan’s Swat valley in 2009, imposing austere Islamic rule.
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