Afghanistan Looking For Its Own 'SOFA' Agreement -- Kinda of a 'SORTA' Agreement

[bigtree]

. . . a 'State of Remaining Troops Agreement' (my own coinage)


KABUL— Afghan President Hamid Karzai is seeking to bolster his negotiating position in talks with the U.S. at a gathering this week of some 2,000 delegates from the provinces, a meeting that has already sparked insurgent attacks and drawn criticism from the country's political opposition.

The gathering, known as the Loya Jirga, is slated to open today. The planned strategic partnership agreement between Afghanistan and the U.S. will be discussed, as well as attempts to open peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

The U.S. and Afghanistan have been negotiating for some nine months a strategic agreement to outline what American military, political and economic presence will remain in Afghanistan once most foreign combat troops leave in late 2014. Some aspects of the planned agreement, such as base rights for U.S. forces, are highly controversial.

Initially, Karzai's administration hoped the Loya Jirga—a traditional gathering, with many attendees hand-picked by the government—would endorse the agreement with the U.S., giving it a degree of popular legitimacy. However, significant disagreements between the U.S. and Afghanistan still remain, and no text or technical details will be submitted to the conference. American and Afghan officials say that, while progress is being made, there is no deadline for the pact to be finalized.


read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203503204577038140101771430.html