KABUL - With differences between Kabul and Washington over the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) still persistent, a number of Afghan Lawmakers warned on Wednesday that major donor countries would cut off aid to Afghanistan if the accord with the U.S. is not finalized.
Over a week ago, President Hamid Karzai brushed-off a recommendation by a 2,500-person Loya Jirga that approved the BSA and asked for it to be signed as soon as possible. Karzai said he would not sign the agreement until after the April elections, and only then, if the U.S. meets a number of new preconditions.
The U.S. has demanded the agreement be signed before the end of the year, saying the entire deal could be in jeopardy if Karzai fails to approve it by then. The BSA is expected to codify plans to keep some 10,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan after the NATO combat mission ends in 2014 and lock-in some 4.1 billion USD in military aid to the Afghan forces.
On Wednesday, members of the Lower House of Parliament expressed major concerns about the delay in signing the BSA and said that refusing to sign it would hurt Afghanistan's interests. They called on President Karzai to respect the decisions of the Advisory Jirga.
"if the agreement is not signed, most donors will cut off aid to Afghanistan," Badakhshan MP Fawzia Kofi said. "The economic side of the agreement should be considered as well, beside its political importance."
The specter of economic hardship post-2014 is a very real and popular fear amongst Afghans these days. With many Afghan and foreign businessmen uncertain about the country's future in terms of security, the appeal of pulling out and moving elsewhere is strong. Yet perhaps the most daunting prospect for the Afghan economy is being cut-off from foreign aid once the coalition wraps up in December.
"We ask President Karzai to sign it so soon," Kabul province MP Farkhonda Zahra Naderi said. "Signing the agreement is in the interests of both countries and even other countries have also expressed worries about not signing the agreement."
NATO coalition officials in Brussels have reaffirmed this week that they await the finalization of the BSA before they make any plans for a residual force post-2014 or continued aid funding. The governments of each individual alliance country are likely to follow the coalition, and in turn, Washington's next move.
On Wednesday, in addition to discussing the BSA, other Parliamentarians called on the government to disclose information about the cost of the Advisory Jirga event held two week ago in Kabul.
"Lots of money was spent on holding the Jirga, we should ask the government why so much money was spent?" MP Fatima Aziz said. "Many people purchased houses with the Jirga budget." (Tolo news)