US Secretary of State John Kerry extended talks on Saturday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai over the contentious security deal to allow the US troops to remain in the country after the NATO-led military mission ends next year.
Talks on a bilateral security agreement that the United States wants by the end of October were extended by at least two hours and a spokesman for Karzai’s office said they would go on until the early afternoon.
The US officials said some progress had been made but it was unclear if that was the reason for the continued talks.
Kerry’s unannounced overnight visit to Kabul comes as talks foundered over issues of Afghan sovereignty despite a year of negotiations. Discussions have repeatedly stalled in recent weeks over Karzai’s demand for American guarantees against future foreign intervention from countries like Pakistan, and U.S. demands for any post-2014 residual force to be able to conduct counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.
Karzai wants America to guarantee such cross-border militant activity will not occur and has demanded guarantees the US will defend Afghanistan against foreign intervention.
The agreement is necessary to give the US a legal basis for having forces in Afghanistan after the end of 2014 and also allow it to lease bases around the country. It would be an executive agreement, meaning the US Senate would not have to ratify it.
