US-led war imposed on Afghan nation: Karzai
Iran Press TV
Sat Mar 15, 2014 1:54PM GMT
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says more than twelve years of US-led war has been "imposed" on the Afghan nation, adding that Afghanistan does not need US troops to defend the country.
In his final address to the Afghan parliament on Saturday, Karzai said Afghan armed forces are ready to assume full responsibility for security in the country, expressing hope that all US-led NATO forces would withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of this year as planned.
The Afghan president also reaffirmed that he would not sign the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with Washington unless the US brings peace to Afghanistan.
The BSA allows thousands of American troops to remain in the country beyond the 2014 withdrawal deadline.
Washington has been pressuring the Afghan president to sign the pact but he says the matter should be left to the next government after the April elections in Afghanistan.
Additionally, Karzai pledged transparency in Afghanistan's forthcoming elections and said, "The government will use all its power to ensure the coming presidential and provincial council elections are free, fair and transparent."
The Afghan president also warned against any foreign interference in next month's polls, stressing, "I want to say to all those foreign countries who...want to interfere, that they should not interfere."
Karzai will step down after Afghanistan's presidential elections, which is slated to be held on April 5. Under Afghanistan's constitution, he is not permitted to run for another term in office at the upcoming poll.
Washington and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but the country is still gripped by insecurity.
MKA/AB/SS
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