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Hagel Lands in Afghanistan to Press for Security Agreement Hagel Lands in Afghanistan to Press for Security Agreement
(about 2 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — Flying aboard a nondescript Air Force cargo plane under the cloak of secrecy, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel landed here on Saturday as the fate of the American military presence in Afghanistan after 2014 remained, yet again, in doubt.KABUL, Afghanistan — Flying aboard a nondescript Air Force cargo plane under the cloak of secrecy, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel landed here on Saturday as the fate of the American military presence in Afghanistan after 2014 remained, yet again, in doubt.
Mr. Hagel was scheduled to meet with American commanders to discuss the status of the war, with troops to offer holiday greetings and with Afghan officials to see if he could press for a breakthrough in finalizing a bilateral security agreement.Mr. Hagel was scheduled to meet with American commanders to discuss the status of the war, with troops to offer holiday greetings and with Afghan officials to see if he could press for a breakthrough in finalizing a bilateral security agreement.
But in a significant break in routine scheduling for visits by defense secretaries in the capital, Mr. Hagel was not scheduled to meet with President Hamid Karzai, whose decision to delay signing the security agreement has raised the possibility of a complete pullout of American troops when the NATO combat mission here officially ends in December 2014. But in a significant break in routine scheduling for visits by defense secretaries to the capital, Mr. Hagel was not scheduled to meet with President Hamid Karzai, whose decision to delay signing the security agreement has raised the possibility of a complete pullout of American troops when the NATO combat mission here officially ends in December 2014.
A senior Pentagon official said Mr. Hagel would see the Afghan defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, and the interior minister, Mohammad Umer Daudzai. After months of haggling, false starts, potential dead-ends and delays, Mr. Karzai last month submitted the bilateral security agreement to a traditional council of tribal elders, which approved the document. Then, he unexpectedly said he might not sign the agreement until after the election of his successor, next April. Mr. Hagel said late Saturday that there was never a plan to meet with the Afghan president during this trip. “I never asked for a meeting with President Karzai,” he said. “I never received an invitation to meet with him.”
“This trip,” the defense secretary said, “is about the troops.”
Mr. Hagel met Saturday with the Afghan defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, and the interior minister, Mohammad Umer Daudzai, and a deputy.
After months of haggling, false starts, potential dead-ends and delays, Mr. Karzai last month submitted the bilateral security agreement to a traditional council of tribal elders, which approved the document. Then he unexpectedly said he might not sign the agreement until after the election of his successor, next April.
With that delay, Mr. Karzai also imposed new conditions on American and allied military actions after 2014, including a ban on counterterrorism raids by foreigners on Afghan homes.With that delay, Mr. Karzai also imposed new conditions on American and allied military actions after 2014, including a ban on counterterrorism raids by foreigners on Afghan homes.
The Pentagon has said that delays to next spring would not provide enough time for careful planning for an extension of the mission, even though officials acknowledged that the Defense Department bureaucracy excelled at nothing more than readying for a range of contingencies. Mr. Hagel addressed the Afghan leader’s decision by saying, “I don’t think pressure coming from the United States, or more pressure, is going to be helpful in persuading President Karzai to sign a bilateral security agreement.”
It appears likely, however, that much of the concern is based on the need for smaller countries that are part of the international coalition in Afghanistan to have ample time for planning, and for receiving political approval from their parliaments. The Pentagon has said that delays until next spring would not provide enough time for careful planning for an extension of the mission, even though officials acknowledged that the Defense Department bureaucracy excelled at readying for a range of contingencies.
It appears likely, though, that much of the concern is based on the need for smaller countries that are part of the international coalition in Afghanistan to have ample time for planning, and for receiving political approval from their parliaments.
In recent days, senior American administration officials have suggested that Mr. Karzai himself need not sign the security agreement, but that it could be officially endorsed by another Afghan official, such as the defense minister.In recent days, senior American administration officials have suggested that Mr. Karzai himself need not sign the security agreement, but that it could be officially endorsed by another Afghan official, such as the defense minister.