Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai says Kabul is in no hurry to sign a military pact with Washington setting out the terms for a foreign military presence in Afghanistan after 2014.
Karzai said on August 24 that if the agreement was not reached during his term in office, "the next president can discuss whether to or not to accept it."
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in July he hoped the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) would be signed by October.
Dempsey had warned that if no deal was reached, all U.S. troops could be forced to depart, leaving none to train and assist Afghan forces after 2014.
Karzai suspended talks on a post-2014 U.S. presence in Afghanistan after Washington and Pakistan supported the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar in June.
Karzai said on August 24 that if the agreement was not reached during his term in office, "the next president can discuss whether to or not to accept it."
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in July he hoped the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) would be signed by October.
Dempsey had warned that if no deal was reached, all U.S. troops could be forced to depart, leaving none to train and assist Afghan forces after 2014.
Karzai suspended talks on a post-2014 U.S. presence in Afghanistan after Washington and Pakistan supported the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar in June.
