West pressuring Kabul to accept US terms: Faizi

KABUL): A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai on Thursday accused western countries of putting pressure on the Afghan government to accept the United States’ conditions for a bilateral security agreement.

Aimal Faizi referred to recent remarks by some UK lawmakers who warned failure to start a peace process with the insurgency could lead to civil war in Afghanistan

According to the Defence Select Committee, an Afghan-led peace deal with the Taliban is vital to secure the future of the country when British troops leave next year.

Its report stressed that the British government had a responsibility to use its influence to “make a post-2014 Afghanistan work”.

It warned that the lack of progress in reducing violence there “does not auger well for improving security and economic development on a long-term sustainable basis”.

The report suggested some ground could be given to the Taliban in negotiations but insisted open and free elections and the rule of law and human rights could not be compromised.

Rejecting these remarks as baseless, Faizi said such reports by western countries were aimed at putting pressure on the Afghan government to accept US conditions for the security agreement.

A statement from the Presidential Palace quoted him as saying that Afghan security forces had strengthened enough over the past 10 years to guarantee peace and stability.

“In the light of past bitter experiences, the Afghans will never allow foreigners to provoke them for a civil war,” he said.

He said the presence of foreigners in Afghanistan would be based on strategic cooperation agreements the country had reached with certain nations.

He said despite ups and downs and the lack of sincere cooperation from some countries, including Pakistan, the Afghan government would continue to peruse efforts at reconciliation.

myn/ma

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