LOC13:23
10:23 GMT
ISLAMABAD, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- A national meeting of tribal elders (Loya
Jirga) is to discuss the fate of a future security deal with the US for
keeping troops in Afghanistan after 2014, said Afghan officials on Sunday.
A member of the convening commission, Sadeq Mudaber said that the
consultative assembly of tribal elders (Loya Jirga), will kick off in the
third week of November and could last a week.
He expected up to 3,000 people might attend the meeting.
The US State Secretary, John Kerry and President of Afghanistan, Hamid
Karzai met last week to reach an agreement on the major elements of a deal
that would allow the US to keep its troops in Afghanistan after 2014, the set
period for foreign forces to depart Afghanistan.
The Afghan President on Friday said, "In our recent negotiations with the
US, we also discussed another important topic of immunity for US troops in
Afghanistan."
He said that the Loya Jirga must debate a potentially deal-breaking issue
of jurisdiction over those forces before he makes a decision.
President Karzai added, "The decision in this respect is beyond the
capacity of the Afghan government, and only the Afghan people maintain the
authority to decide on it, the Loya Jirga reflects the will of the Afghan
people."
The United States wants to keep as many as 10,000 troops in the country to
train Afghan national security forces, but if no agreement is signed all US
troops would have to leave by the end of next year.
The former Afghan president Sebghatullah Mujadidi will be heading the Loya
Jirga, who was initially opposing the idea of calling the meeting as the basic
points had already been covered by a Strategic Partnership Agreement that
Karzai signed with US President, Barack Obama last year.
Most foreign troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, amid
Afghan security increasing worries about the country's prospects after western
forces depart. If the Loya Jirga decides not to keep the US troops in
Afghanistan after 2014 then failure to reach an agreement could prompt the US
to pull out all its forces at the end of 2014, an outcome known as "zero
option". (end)
sbk.aa
KUNA 201323 Oct 13NNNN