KABUL - A number of Afghan lawmakers on Monday spoke out against the recent announcement of a "Friendship & Cooperation Pact" to be signed between Kabul. The representatives were fearful that closer ties with Afghanistan's western neighbor could come at the expense of relations with the U.S.
President Karzai left Kabul for Tehran earlier this week and held discussions with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani. The two leaders agreed on signing an agreement that would expand relations between the two nations for regional peace and stability and to further economic ties.
The announcement comes at a time tensions between the Presidential Palace in Kabul and the White House in Washington are at an all time high, with the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) hanging in the balance.
Lawmakers on Monday emphasized that given the ongoing threats to Afghanistan, especially with the NATO combat mission ending in December of 2014, the country needs a powerful ally that could help meet the needs of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Police (ANP).
The Kabul-Washington security pact was approved by a Loya Jirga a couple weeks ago, and entails the assurance of some 10,000 U.S. troops as part of a residual force to stay behind to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces post-2014 as well as some 4.1 billion USD in military aid.
Despite recent negotiation overtures, Iran and the U.S. remain largely at odds, which is why Afghan officials fear getting closer to Tehran just as relations with Washington hit a rough patch is a dangerous game to play.
Coincidentally, the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry spoke out against the BSA hours before Karzai arrived in Tehran this week. Iranian officials said the agreement posed a threat to regional security by keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials have said that if the BSA is not signed, which Karzai has threatened on numerous occasions, security ties between the two countries would be effectively cut-off after the NATO coalition withdraws.
"If president Karzai wants to put pressure on the U.S. with regard to BSA by pursuing such policies, I think this policy will harm the interests of Afghanistan," Herat MP Ahmad Behzad said.
The lawmakers were critical of building ties with Iran, which they suggested had never been a true friend of Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan needs a powerful ally to sincerely support the Afghan military forces, not those countries who have always strived to hurt Afghanistan," Ghazni MP Shah Gul Rezayee. "We need to forge an agreement with the U.S."
Karzai flouted the recommendation of the Jirga, which he convened, amidst a great deal of controversy. He refused to sign the pact until after the April elections, and then, only if the U.S. met a number of new preconditions related to the Taliban peace process and raids on
Afghan homes.
Officials in Washington have said the agreement must be finalized by the end of this year.
The First Deputy of the Upper House took the middle ground on Monday, supporting agreements with both Tehran and the West.
"I support the signing of agreements with the Western countries and the neighbors of Afghanistan to expand our relations," Mohammad Alam Ezedyar said.
But whether the best of both worlds is an option on the table for Kabul remains to be seen. (Tolo News)