KABUL - Washington's efforts to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the current government in Kabul have reached an impasse, but with elections just around the corner, most of President Hamid Karzai's potential successors have voiced clear support for the security deal, chief among them being Abdullah Abdullah.

Out of the 10 Presidential candidates expected to contend the April vote, the majority have said they believe the BSA, a legal framework enabling U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan post-2014, is in the country's best interest. Most have criticized President Hamid Karzai's uncompromising approach to the security deal, suggesting he has caused more harm than good.

In an interview with the Associated Press, presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah called President Karzai's delay and preconditions for signing the BSA unpractical and promised to sign the agreement within a month if he is elected in April.

"Between partners there needs to be a foundation and that foundation has been damaged by President Karzai," Abdullah said.

Karzai has told the U.S. he will not sign the BSA until Washington helps get Taliban peace talks back on track and ends all unilateral raids on Afghan homes. Despite the BSA being approved by a Loya Jirga in November, and the U.S. threatening a full troop and financial pullout at the end of the year, Karzai has not budged.

In fact, many have said Karzai has intentionally aggravated relations with the U.S. in recent months. On a number of occassions the Afghan President has lashed out at the U.S. in the press, going so far at one point to suggest it has secretly been behind Taliban-styled terrorist attacks on Afghan and foreign civilians.

"To repair it [the foundation], efforts on both sides are needed, a relationship that is based on mutual respect and a mutual understanding of the challenges and how to deal with them and also of the opportunities that are ahead of us," Abdullah said.

Abdullah expressed disagreement with even the basic logic of President Karzai's approach to the BSA negotiations.

"It (Bilateral Security Agreement) has to be signed within a month, I see no reasons that...I see no reasons to postpone it further," he said. "It has been negotiated and that condition of President Karzai, which is first peace and then signing the agreement, I don't think that that is practical."

Although nearly all the presidential candidates have expressed support for the BSA, none have spoken in the depth and with the same pointed criticism of Karzai that Abdullah did this week.

Most of the candidates have said that due to the country's fragile condition, a vacuum of international aid - especially from the U.S. - could be catastrophic. The U.S. has said some four billion USD in military aid would be cut off if the BSA is not inked.

For many, even among those who may not favor the BSA, the upcoming elections are considered a crucial stepping stone to continued progress and greater stability. Regardless of who is elected, the April 5 vote will mark the first democratic transition of presidential power in Afghan history.  (Tolonews)