‘Afghan ministers will not sign US deal’

Afghanistan says President Hamid Karzai will not allow any of his ministers to sign a controversial security deal with the United States.

The Afghan president’s spokesman said on Wednesday that Karzai would not allow any minister to sign the security pact unless Kabul’s key demands are met.
Washington had earlier said that the deal could be signed by Afghanistan’s defence minister. US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday said the bilateral pact could be signed by Afghan defense minister, effectively circumventing Karzai.
More frustration is growing in the US and NATO countries over the Afghan leader’s refusal to sign a bilateral security deal on the future of US military presence in the war-torn country.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has urged Kabul government to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US as a matter of urgency.
Washington is also warning that the global support for Afghanistan will fade, if President Karzai continues to delay signing the security pact.
Washington has rejected President Karzai’s suggestion of the signing to take place next year. The US has repeatedly said it will not wait until after the April 2014 presidential vote to seal the agreement.
Karzai has accused the US of not providing the country with military supplies in an attempt to pressure him to sign the controversial deal.