Without BSA Afghanistan Isolated Again: Spanta TOLOnews By Saleha Sadat 16 November 2013 The Lower House summoned a number of top security officials to discuss the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) on Saturday ahead of the Loya Jirga set to discuss the pact next week. National Security Advisor Dr. Rangeen Spanta said if the agreement was not signed, Afghanistan would be isolated again among wolves. Some, like the Taliban, have condemned the BSA, which, amongst other things, would assure a residual presence of foreign troops stayed in Afghanistan after the NATO withdraw in 2014. Others have advocated it for just that reason, and fear that without codified U.S. support a fragile Afghanistan could face insurmountable challenges when it comes to national security issues. Dr. Spanta was called to the Lower House along with the Political Deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to help explain and offer input on the BSA for MPs edification. The National Assembly is expected to vote on the BSA after a recommendation is made by the Loya Jirga scheduled to begin on November 21. This agreement will be sent for your review, and if this agreement is a loss for Afghanistan then reject it, and if in favor, then approve it Spanta told the Lower House on Saturday. In my opinion, if this agreement is not signed, Afghanistan will be isolated again, and will be like a lamb stuck among wolves in the desert. According to officials from the NATO coalition and allied countries, without the BSA being signed between Washington and Kabul it would be unlikely any other nations would contribute troops to stay behind after 2014. The U.S. has also said future military aid to Afghanistan, which is marked at 4.1 billion USD at the moment, would be called off if the accord was not finalized. Of chief concern for many Afghans about the countrys post-2014 future, aside from conflict with the Taliban, is the imposition of neighboring countries, which have long been engaged in a chess game of influence in Afghanistan. With this in mind, Spanta and his colleagues told MPs that the BSA was in Afghanistans interests. He said that nearly all of the agreement had been finalized with both sides on the same page, and the remaining bits would be finalized within a day. President Hamid Karzai spoke at a press conference on Saturday and said that one of the issues recently resolved was the pacts definition of aggression, which would be important when it comes to relations with other countries and the responsibility the U.S. has to assist Afghanistan in the event of a confrontation. Spanta said that the BSA assured that if there is an act of aggression against Afghanistan by another country, the U.S. and Afghanistan would respond jointly. Based on this agreement, both sides have agreed that when the integrity of Afghanistans national sovereignty is threatened, they will defend it together, he said. One of the U.S. perquisites for the agreement is that it have criminal jurisdiction over any troops who are stationed in Afghanistan post-2014, based on a mandate in the American Constitution. America has clearly told us that when American soldiers and those who work for the Pentagon commit a crime in another country, jurisdiction will be in an American court, he told the MPs on Saturday. Location doesnt matter, either Afghanistan or the United States, but it will be an American Court; America said that this is the perquisite for signing the agreement, and it is up to Afghanistan to sign it or not. The issue of troop immunity, or jurisdiction over U.S. troops, is expected to be one of the most heatedly debated topics at the Loya Jirga next week. The issue proved a deal-breaker when the U.S. was pulling out of Iraq in 2011 and a similar pact between the two countries was tossed. Many Afghans have expressed reservations about conceding authority to prosecute U.S. soldiers who commit crimes in Afghanistan in part because of the history of crimes and human rights violations perpetrated by them over the past 12 years. According to Spanta, the BSA provides that after 2015 all raids and home inspections by foreign forces, amongst other things, would come to an end. Based on this agreement, after 2015, foreign forces cannot perform any operations without prior approval, he added. He also said that according to the pact foreign troops in Afghanistan post-2014 would likely number anywhere between 10-16,000, which is higher than estimates previously stated by NATO officials in Brussels that put the number between 8,000 and 12,000. The only military base the U.S. would be allowed to maintain control of in Afghanistan would be Bagram Airbase. The dramatically reduced role of U.S. troops post-2014 is said to be tailored toward non-combat oriented objectives. U.S. officials have indicated the primary role of residual forces would be to train, advise and assist Afghan troops. After January of 2015, the BSA states security responsibility for Afghan airspace, land and rivers would be fully in the hands of the Afghan military. To be legally fixed, the BSA must be approved by both houses of Parliament and signed by President Karzai. It would be valid for ten years after being signed. The text of the agreement, which includes 26 articles and two annexes, will be sent to Parliament on November 27. The Loya Jirga is expected to conclude its proceedings on the Sunday prior.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 18:33:31 +0000
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