国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

Make me your Homepage
left corner left corner
China Daily Website

US troops may leave if no deal in Afghanistan

Updated: 2013-11-26 15:00
( Agencies)

US troops may leave if no deal in Afghanistan

A member of the Loya Jirga, grand council, leaves on the last day of the Loya Jirga, in Kabul Nov 24, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

KABUL/WASHINGTON - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign a security deal with the United States, the White House said, opening up the prospect of a complete withdrawal of US troops from the strife-torn nation next year.

Karzai told US National Security Advisor Susan Rice in Kabul on Monday that the United States must put an immediate end to military raids on Afghan homes and demonstrate its commitment to peace talks before he would sign a bilateral security pact, Karzai's spokesman said.

The White House said Karzai had outlined new conditions in the meeting with Rice and "indicated he is not prepared to sign the (bilateral security agreement) promptly."

"Without a prompt signature, the US would have no choice but to initiate planning for a post-2014 future in which there would be no US or NATO troop presence in Afghanistan," a White House statement quoted Rice as saying.

The complete withdrawal, called the "zero option", would be similar to the pull-out of US troops from Iraq two years ago.

On Sunday, an assembly of Afghan elders endorsed the security pact, but Karzai suggested he might not sign it until after national elections next spring.

The impasse strengthens questions about whether any US and NATO troops will remain after the end of next year in Afghanistan, which faces a still-potent insurgency waged by Taliban militants and is still training its own military.

US troops have been in Afghanistan since leading multinational forces in ousting the Taliban regime in late 2001.

Just over two years ago, US President Barack Obama pulled the plug on talks with Iraq about keeping a residual American force there after that war. In October 2011, when he announced that decision, there were more than 40,000 troops in the country. By the end of the year, they had all been withdrawn.

In Afghanistan, there are still 47,000 American forces. The United States has been in discussions with Afghan officials about keeping a small residual force of about 8,000 troops there after it winds down operations next year.

US officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, have said the bilateral security deal with Afghanistan  must be signed by year-end to begin preparations for a post-2014 presence.

Rice, who made a three-day visit to Afghanistan to visit US troops, told Karzai it was "not viable" to defer signing the deal until after the election, the White House said.

The delay "would not provide the United States and NATO allies the clarity necessary to plan for a potential post-2014 military presence," the White House said.

Previous Page 1 2 Next Page

 
...
沽源县| 龙陵县| 嫩江县| 大丰市| 芜湖市| 高平市| 元朗区| 万盛区| 中牟县| 通化市| 镇沅| 永善县| 鄢陵县| 尚志市| 泾阳县| 正阳县| 神池县| 锦屏县| 余江县| 宁强县| 宁远县| 秦皇岛市| 左云县| 湖南省| 屏边| 阳山县| 浦东新区| 托克逊县| 普定县| 香河县| 潜江市| 格尔木市| 云和县| 佛坪县| 西乌珠穆沁旗| 三穗县| 万荣县| 奉新县| 呈贡县| 成安县| 龙井市|