Kerry says US-Afghan deal will be signed soon

The outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai refused to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) late last year and said his successor should make the final decision about it.
 
Kerry said on Sunday that the agreement reached between Afghan presidential candidates to form a national unity government provides an opportunity for signing the deal in a week.
 
Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani was declared Sunday as the winner of the country’s disputed presidential vote.
 
Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, signed a power-sharing deal to end months of turmoil over the election results.
 
“They have joined together in a unity government that offers a huge opportunity for progress in Afghanistan, for the signing of the BSA in a week or so, inauguration next week for the new president, and importantly for a real program of unity and reform to be implemented on behalf of the people of Afghanistan,” Kerry said.
 
The security pact would allow American forces to remain in Afghanistan after the planned US troop withdrawal at the end of the year.
 
Karzai believed that there was no good in the continued US presence in Afghanistan, because he said the US-led mission had failed to establish security in his country since the US occupation began in 2001.
 
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to plague the Asian country, despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.