Strategic partnership
November 16, 2011
Afghan President Hamid Karzai spelled out his terms for long-term US military bases in Afghanistan at the beginning of a four-day gathering of tribal elders in Kabul on Wednesday. "We want our national sovereignty and we want it today," he told the 2,300 delegates of the Loya Jirga, or grand council.
The delegates have gathered to debate the text of a proposed partnership agreement that will come into force after NATO-led troops withdraw in 2014, if it goes ahead.
Karzai said that the US would have to stop the building of parallel institutions in Afghanistan and night raids as a condition of the strategic partnership agreement between the two countries. In September, a report by social research groups found that the number of raids and confusion caused by darkness meant civilians were often at disproportionate risk.
If the conditions were met, the Afghan president said, Afghanistan would host US troops: "If they want military bases, we will allow them, it is in our benefit, money will come to us, and our forces will be trained."
US reluctance
According to those familiar with the discussions, US officials are unwilling to accept the ban on night raids.
Currently, the roughly 100,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan operate without any bilateral agreement governing their actions, although most are under a UN mandate.
US officials have said that they support the Loya Jirga and the attempt to make sure tribal leaders accept a partnership agreement.
Reassuring the neighbors
Karzai also attempted to reassure Afghanistan’s neighboring states that they were not under threat. "Afghanistan sees its national interest in having good relations with neighbors and we want our independence to have good relations with neighbors such as China, Russia and others," he insisted.
Karzai urged the delegates to consider both the need for international help and the need to make sure Afghans set the rules in their own country. He also said that his administration was working on partnerships with other countries and with the European Union.
Observers do not expect much to materialize from the four-day Loya Jirga, considering its unclear legal status and the lack of a draft accord to present to the assembled elders.
The Taliban have threatened to disrupt the gathering, which they see as an attempt by the US to justify a permanent presence in Afghanistan. Washington denies wanting permanent military bases in the region.
Author: Anne Thomas (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Shamil Shams