The US is keen to sign a bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan as soon as possible, despite an earlier decision to finalise it after a new Afghan President is elected, arguing that it is essential for planning post 2014 troops presence.
"In order to move forward and plan for the United States, for our NATO allies to plan, in order for Afghans to have the certainty they deserve regarding their future in the critical months preceding the elections, in order to prevent nations' pledges of assistance made at Chicago and Tokyo conferences, it's important in our view to do this as quickly as possible," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said yesterday.
"We have never set a specific deadline. We want him (the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai) to sign it as quickly as possible," she said.
Deferring the signature of the agreement until after next year's election would not provide the United States and NATO allies with the ability to plan for a post-2014 presence, she said.
Psaki said the 'zero option', which means no US troops in Afghanistan, is not the preferred choice of America.
"We've been very clear, and I just mentioned this, that's not our preference that there are interests for the United States, including preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Al Qaida; including the importance of our security partnership," she said.
"But we need these requirements. The BSA outlines them. It's long been negotiated. It's been a tough negotiation and we've been very clear about our desire to sign it as quickly as possible," Psaki said.
