Hamid Karzai hits out at US 'threats' over Afghanistan
A senior American diplomat warned Afghanistan faces civil war unless it signs a deal for US bases to remain in the country, Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president said on Saturday
1:15PM GMT 14 Dec 2013
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Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has accused the United States of "threatening" to abandon the country to continuing civil war if he does not allow American and Nato bases to remain in the country for another ten years.
Speaking in New Delhi, Mr Karzai said the threat had been made by a senior American official but he had warned him Afghanistan is prepared for a so-called 'zero-option' in which all Western troops and financial aid is withdrawn.
The United States has urged Afghanistan to sign a 'Bilateral Security Agreement' soon to avoid a military vacuum after the bulk of Nato forces are withdrawn by the end of next year. It wants to keep 15,000 Western troops at nine military bases.
Mr Karzai called a Loya Jirga gathering of tribal leaders last month to decide but he then rejected its vote in favour of the agreement and said he would leave it to his successor to decide next April unless the US agreed to launch peace talks and guarantee its forces would not carry out controversial 'night raids' on civilian homes. Washington said it would only launch raids to prevent attacks on the United States.
On Saturday, Mr Karzai said he had been "hurt" by Washington's approach but would rather lose billions of dollars in Western aid than sign the deal under "threats".
