An Afghan soldier at a checkpoint overlooking
Kabul, a day before
the opening of a great meeting or LoyaJirga, to decide whether to
allow U.S. forces to remain in the country
until 2025.
Ignore Propaganda Against Afghan-U.S. Security Deal (Outlook Afghanistan,
Afghanistan)
"Some figures, who have taken money from these countries,
are trying to prevent signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement, which has
tremendous political, economic and security benefits to Afghanistan. These people
close their eyes to the miseries of the past. They fail to grasp that if they are
able to televise their thoughts and ideas in the first place, it is solely due
to systems created with support from that very same United States. ... Before
the U.S. military intervened in 2001, they would realize that during the time,
people lacked even the right to freely practice religious rituals."
A member of a traditional Afghan grand assembly called a Loya Jirga being convened to debate whether to allow U.S. forces to be exempt from Afghan law for the purposes of remaining in the country until 2025 registers for the meeting in Kabul, which began today, Nov. 21.
The
LoyaJirga will be held
from Nov.21 to Nov 24. About 2,500 influential figures from inside and outside
of central government will participate to decide whether or not to sign the
Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States (aka/U.S.-Afghanistan
Strategic Partnership Agreement or BSA). BSA is part of the larger
Contract
on Strategic Cooperation which was signed by Presidents Barack Obama and HamidKarzai last year. However,
due to differences over the details for a framework under which U.S. troops would
continue to remains in the country, its adoption remains muddied.
A
key controversial issue is impunity from legal prosecution for U.S. personnel.
In recent weeks, neighboring countries have done their best to scupper the idea
of permanent U.S. bases, arguing that this would violate Afghanistan's national
and Islamic pride. Some have put forward an awkward security analysis that due
to their enmity with Washington, a U.S. military presence would see neighboring
countries instigating trouble in our domestic affairs, hence, prolonging its
insecurity and instability.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
These
false arguments are clearly baseless. More importantly, they benefit others for
whom peace and stability in Afghanistan have no meaning whatsoever. These
arguments prove that their only goal for our country is to further their own interests,
which have been pursued up to now by destabilizing Afghanistan. During past
decades, regrettably, none of these countries ever cared to reassess their
policies and at least not stoke the flames here. For them, even if our country
burns, they would always remain free of the flames.
Now,
some [Afghanistan] figures, who have taken money from these countries, are
trying to prevent signing of the BSA, which has
tremendous political, economic and security benefits to Afghanistan. These people
close their eyes to the miseries of the past. They fail to grasp that if they are
able to televise their thoughts and ideas in the first place, it is solely due
to systems created with support from that very same United States. If these
gentlemen would examine the days before the U.S. military intervened in 2001,
they would realize that during the time, people lacked even the right to freely
practice religious rituals.
So
we humbly ask all sides not to throw dust into their memories of a decade ago.
They should be able to clearly see that a U.S. military presence will not,
despite these errant claims, cause other nations to intervene in our affairs.
