U.S., alliance to assist Afghanistan after 2014: Karzai
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E-mail Xinhua, March 11, 2012
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that the United States and its allied nations would assist his country with 4.1 billion U.S. dollars annually after 2014 when the NATO-led force completes its pull out.
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai addresses a ceremony to mark the International Women's Day in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on March 11, 2012. Hamid Karzai said on Sunday that the United States and its allied nations would assist his country with 4.1 billion U.S. dollars annually after 2014 when the NATO-led force completes its pullout. |
He also noted that Afghan government has the right to buy military equipments from any country including India, Russia, China and Poland.
About the proposed strategic partnership with the U.S., the Afghan leader said that Afghan government would sign the agreement with U.S. would act very carefully to ensure its national interests and safeguard its national sovereignty. "Before NATO's Chicago Summit, the strategic agreement will be inked," Karzai said.
However, he stated that the agreement would not include the U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, saying"After one year, having military bases and the modality of the use of military bases in Afghanistan would be discussed and would be inked later. We are going carefully to ensure Afghanistan national interest and its national sovereignty".
Around 130,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) with some 90,000 of whom Americans would complete the security transition to Afghan side by the end of 2014.
In line with an agreement inked with U.S. couple of days ago in Kabul, Washington agreed to hand over the Bagram detention center to Afghan government and the process would be completed within six months, as a pre-condition for inking the strategic agreement.
President Karzai said in his speech that the U.S. military night raids, another precondition for signing the agreement, would also be halted.
