KABUL - A number of recently registered Presidential candidates on Saturday emphasized the importance of signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA). The candidates warned that if the Kabul-Washington agreement falls apart the country's future would be seriously threatened.
The candidates urged President Hamid Karzai to sign the agreement and said that if there is any provision of the BSA not favorable to the nation's interest and is holding up finalization, then it should be shared with the Lower House.
Although widely regarded by Afghan officials and the international community as an essential step for the management of security challenges in post-2014 Afghanistan, the agreement has still not been finalized after months of deliberations. With the NATO combat mission set to end in December 2014 and foreign troops expected to withdraw, fears about what might happen once Kabul is left to fend for itself have dominated public discourse for months.
"The Afghan government should sign the BSA as quickly as possible. We need a powerful friend, otherwise, the intervention of neighboring countries into our internal matters will continue," said Sayed Ishaq Gilani, a Presidential candidate.
"The Agreement will benefit the citizens. It should be signed as quickly as possible," said Abdul Rahim Wardak, another Presidential nominee.
The candidates also warned Karzai and said that if his government failed to pass the agreement, the next government would get it done.
Back in June, President Karzai said he was going to freeze talks with the U.S. over the BSA following the unraveling of an attempt at peace negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar. He said he would not begin talks again until the Taliban agreed to meet with the High Peace Council (HPC).
It would appear, however, pressure from Washington to ink the BSA helped re-open lines of communication later in the summer despite no official peace process with the Taliban being restarted yet. In August, U.S. and Afghan officials signaled that negotiations were reaching a final stage though no clear end date was set.
The October deadline laid out by the U.S. previously was flouted by Afghan officials who said no agreement would be signed until Washington agreed to Afghan demands. President Karzai has added that the ultimate decision on the agreement would be up to a Loya Jirga he would convene.
Ash Carter, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, during his visit to Kabul earlier this month said that it would be a "tragedy" if the U.S. and Afghan negotiators failed to sign the BSA. On numerous occasions, the Taliban has claimed that it would regain power once foreign troops left Afghanistan.
Upon hearing about the candidates statements regarding the BSA, several residents of Kabul offered their opinions on the subject.
"If the security situation is expected to get better by signing the agreement, it should be signed as quickly as possible," said Dr. Imal, a Kabul city resident.
"Our army is not in a state to lead the country toward peace and stability. The government should sign the BSA," another resident told TOLOnews. (Tolo News)