ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday said he was confident Washington would reach an agreement with Kabul that would allow US troops to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014.
“We’re making progress, we’re working on it. I am confident that we will have an agreement,” Kerry told reporters after talks with Pakistan officials in Islamabad. “I feel very comfortable where we are and, as I say to you, I expect this agreement to be completed in an appropriate time.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai suspended talks on the agreement in June, furious at the manner in which the Taliban opened a liaison office in Qatar.
The deal would allow for a limited US army presence to remain in Afghanistan after the US-led Nato mission finishes at the end of next year. Its mission would be to counter any threat that remains from Al Qaeda and train Afghan forces. “The president has made it clear that he will at the appropriate time be announcing an ongoing American presence and negotiations on a bilateral security agreement are underway,” Kerry said. He and Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz expressed hopes to revive deadlocked talks with the Afghan Taliban as part of efforts to stabilise the country after 2014.
Kabul is also upset over a dispute over how to proceed with peace talks, prompting speculation the US might opt for a “zero option” of withdrawing all troops. “We are drawing down, not withdrawing,” Kerry said. Agencies
