Partial Afghan security deal reached, Kerry says

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By MATTHEW LEE and PATRICK QUINN

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday said a partial agreement was reached with Afghanistan on a security accord, but the potentially deal-breaking issue of jurisdiction for American forces remains unresolved.

Kerry spoke with President Hamid Karzai after a marathon series of meetings and repeated delays of his departure from Afghanistan. Both men said agreement had been reached on a series of contentious sovereignty issues and the safety of Afghan citizens at the hands of American and allied troops that had deadlocked talks in the past year.

But Karzai said he would punt the issue of who has who jurisdiction for any crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan after 2014 to a national consultative assembly of tribal elders, or Loya Jirga, that he has asked to be convened within a month. Their opinion on whether to approve or disapprove an American demand that its forces be remanded to U.S. military courts would then be sent to the Afghan parliament.

"We have reached an agreement on the respect of national sovereignty, preventing civilian casualties, a definition for aggression and also the prevention of unilateral acts by foreign forces. We reached an agreement on that, but the issue of jurisdiction for foreign forces is above the authority of the Afghan government and that is up to the Afghan people and the Loya Jirga," Karzai said.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20131012/DA9CS1JG1.html

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, leans in toward Afghan President Hamid Karzai as they say goodbye at the end of a news conference announcing a tentative agreement between the two countries at the Presidential Palace during Kerry's unannounced stop in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, as a deadline approaches for a security deal about the future of U.S. troops in the country. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

[Ash_F]

1. How do people think they will vote? /nt

[dipsydoodle]

2. Karzai had already said

that agreements could not precede next April's elections there in Afghanistan. That was prior to these current meetings. I took it from that he knew he'd risk losing elections if he did otherwise.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. Karzai isn't running, I don't think.

[dipsydoodle]

6. His concern may be for the next government.

April ref. here :

Washington says it wants a deal done by the end of October but talks have stumbled over two issues that have become deal breakers for Kabul. Karzai has declared it can wait until after presidential elections in April next year, further straining what has become a rocky relationship between the allies.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/11/uk-usa-afghanistan-kerry-idUKBRE99A0CP20131011

[Lurks Often]

3. The same reason why Iraq & the US could not reach an agreement on keeping US troops in Iraq

The insistence that US military personnel be subject to US court martial is what prevented an agreement to keep troops in Iraq.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Let's hope it's a deal breaker in Afghanistan, too.

There is no good reason for us to maintain a strong military presence there.