AlHijjah 23, 1432, Nov 19, 2011, SPA -- Afghan delegates meeting at a national assembly on Saturday backed President Hamid Karzai's plan to negotiate a long-term security pact with the United States - with certain conditions attached, dpa reported. More than 2,000 tribal and local leaders attending the four-day meeting, known as a Loya Jirga, demanded that NATO forces stop raids against insurgents as well as asking the president to pursue peace talks with the Taliban. The traditional assembly was convened to discuss a pact that governs the presence of US troops in the country after 2014, when most foreign forces are expected to withdraw or take on a support role. "All military operations should be Afghan-led and they should not be unilateral. Americans should not conduct operations by themselves," read a 76-point declaration approved at the meeting. The declaration also asked the Afghan government to make sure that the US would not use its military bases in the country to launch attacks against other countries. The Afghan and US governments agree that several thousand troops should remain after 2014 to train Afghan forces and assist them in operations against insurgents. But the sides still have to agree on the legal rules that will govern the presence of the US force. The US sees any future pact as a non-binding agreement, while the Afghan government wants a firm set of rules to govern the presence of US forces in the country beyond 2014. The assembly's decision is not binding and Karzai does not need approval from the assembly to finalize a deal with the US but it places him in a better position during negotiations.
