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What an Afghan pact could mean for the future

The United States and Afghanistan have agreed to a draft security agreement that outlines the role the U.S. military will play beginning in 2014. The agreement comes one day before a meeting of Afghanistan's Loya Jirga.

罢丑别听United States听补苍诲 Afghanistan聽reached a draft agreement on Wednesday laying out the terms under which U.S. troops may stay beyond 2014, one day before Afghan elders are to debate the issue.

A draft accord released by the聽Afghan government聽appears to meet U.S. demands on such controversial issues as whether U.S. troops would unilaterally conduct counterterrorism operations, enter Afghan homes or protect the country from outside attack.

Without the accord,聽Washington聽has warned it could withdraw its troops by the end of next year and leave Afghan forces to fight a聽Taliban-led insurgency without their help.

Thousands of Afghan dignitaries and elders are due to convene in a giant tent in the capital Kabul on Thursday to debate the fate of U.S. forces after a 2014 drawdown of a multinational NATO force.

"We have reached an agreement as to the final language of the bilateral security agreement that will be placed before the Loya聽Jirga聽tomorrow," U.S. Secretary of State聽John Kerry聽told reporters in the U.S. capital, referring to the gathering.

Intense negotiations between Kabul and聽Washington聽have provoked frustration among the Afghan tribal and political elders who made perilous journeys from all over the country to the capital Kabul for a grand assembly to debate the pact.

Efforts to finalise the pact stalled on Tuesday amid disagreement over whether U.S. President聽Barack Obama聽had agreed to issue a letter acknowledging mistakes made during the 12-year Afghan war.

Kerry denied any discussion about the possibility of a U.S. apology to Afghanistan聽for U.S. mistakes or Afghan civilian casualties, a move that would likely draw widespread anger in the聽United States.

"The important thing for people to understand is there has never been a discussion of or the word 'apology' used in our discussions whatsoever," Kerry said, adding that Afghan President聽Hamid Karzai聽had also not asked for an apology.

It was unclear where the notion of an apology originated.

A U.S. official said that when Kerry declined Karzai's invitation to attend the Loya聽Jirga, the Afghan leader asked for U.S. reassurances to the council on the future security relationship that would also address civilian casualties.

Kerry suggested outlining the U.S. position in a letter. When Karzai asked if the letter could come from Obama, Kerry said he would check, this official added.

The secretary of state on Wednesday said "it is up to President Obama and the聽White House聽to address any issues with respect to any possible communication" between the two presidents.

Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, insisted on Tuesday that an apology was "not on the table."

National interests聽

The 24-page draft agreement posted on the Afghan foreign ministry's website suggested that the聽United States聽had got its way on several controversial issues:

- The pact does not commit the聽United States聽to defend Afghanistan聽from foreign attack, saying rather that聽Washington聽"shall regard with grave concern any external aggression;"

- It says U.S. forces "shall not target Afghan civilians, including in their homes" - phrasing that suggests they could enter Afghan homes as long as civilians were not the objective;

- It says U.S. military operations may be needed to fight al Qaeda and says the two countries will cooperate "with the intention of protecting U.S. and Afghan national interests without unilateral U.S. military counterterrorism operations," phrasing that does not absolutely rule out the聽United States聽acting on its own.

- It gives the聽United States聽the exclusive right to try U.S. forces for criminal or civilian offences in Afghanistan听补苍诲 it grants U.S. military aircraft unfettered overflight rights.

Violence ahead of gathering聽

U.S. forces arrived in Afghanistan聽soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and聽Washington听补苍诲 toppled its聽Taliban-led government which harboured the al Qaeda leaders.

Their presence has generated deep enmity among some Afghans who resent what they see as U.S. violations of their sovereignty and civilian casualties flowing from U.S. military operations.

The drawdown of Western troops has allowed tentative peace overtures between Kabul and the聽Taliban聽to gather pace, and Afghan officials arrived in聽Pakistan聽on Wednesday to initiate talks.

罢丑别听Taliban聽have nonetheless condemned the Loya聽Jirga聽as a farce, and security has been tight in Kabul following a suicide bomb attack near the assembly ground over the weekend.

Insurgents fired two rockets at the tent where the last Loya聽Jirga聽was last held in 2011, but missed the delegates.

If the two sides cannot agree on a pact, Karzai has suggested submitting different versions of the document for the Loya聽Jirga聽to decide on. That caused confusion among聽Jirga聽members.

Khan Ali Rotman, who runs a Kabul youth organisation, said if the pact was not in Afghanistan's national interests, "we will raise our voice and not vote for it".

But a Kabul senator,聽Khan Mohammad Belaghi, said Afghanistan聽had no choice but to sign:

"We have to have a partnership with a country like the聽United States听补苍诲 we will vote in favour of it because it can protect us from threats from neighbouring countries, especially聽Pakistan, and the聽Taliban."

Violence spiralled on the eve of the meeting, with the聽Taliban聽attacking two high-ranking police officials.

Gunmen ambushed and killed the police chief of聽Marja聽district in the southern province of Helmand on his way to work, said聽Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Also in the south, guards shot dead a suicide bomber trying to force his way inside the house of the聽Kandahar聽provincial police chief, said聽Hamid Zia Durrani, a spokesman for the police. Later a bomb exploded at a hotel a few doors away, killing three and wounding 14, he said.

(Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni, Katharine Houreld in Kabul and Sarwar Amani in聽Kandahar, and Dylan Welch in Islamabad; writing by Maria Golovnina and Lesley Wroughton; editing by Ralph Boulton and Jackie Frank)