Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged tribal elders Thursday to back a vital security pact with the U.S. that would see thousands of foreign troops remain in his war-ravaged country after 2014, though he acknowledged a breakdown in trust between the two nations.
Speaking in Kabul at the start of a four-day gathering of the loya jirga, or grand council, Karzai told delegates: "My trust with America is not good. I don't trust them, and they don't trust me."
He pledged his own support for the bilateral security agreement with Washington, under which he said up to 15,000 foreign troops could stay in Afghanistan following next year's planned military drawdown. But in a potential blow for U.S. dealmakers, the Afghan leader said he would defer any signing of the accord until after the country's April 5 elections.
Washington has indicated that it wants the agreement in place as soon as possible to enable the U.S. and NATO to start planning for a post-2014 presence.
Under the plan being presented, the United States would maintain several bases in Afghanistan after the bulk of its forces pull out next year. But in a move that is likely to be opposed by many attending the loya jirga, American soldiers will be given immunity from Afghan prosecution.
The gathering in Kabul will now debate the draft proposal and decide whether to accept its terms or leave Afghan forces to continue fighting the Taliban on their own.
Karzai told about 2,500 tribal chiefs, chieftains and dignitaries attending the assembly that the U.S. deal gives Afghans a chance to move on after "more than 30 years of war."
"The agreement gives us a chance to transition into stability," he said. "This agreement provides us a transitional period to reach stability in the next 10 years ahead of us.
"If signed ... 10,000 to 15,000 of their troops will stay. When I say 'their troops,' I don't mean the Americans (alone)," Karzai told delegates, saying the force would include troops from other NATO members as well as "Turkey or some other Muslim nations" (Turkey is a member of NATO).
The U.S. has not given a figure of how many troops would remain in Afghanistan post-2014.
Karzai also told the loya jirga that President Barack Obama had sent a letter assuring him that the security pact would be in Afghanistan's best interests, and pledging that U.S. troops would enter Afghan homes only under exceptional circumstances.
Karzai's appeal came hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed that the two countries had agreed on the final language of the security agreement.
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