KABU (Pajhwok): Presidential hopeful Dr. Abdullah Abdullah on Tuesday stressed the need for the early signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), saying President Hamid Karzai was authorised to sign or reject the deal.
Abdullah told media-people in Kabul the president should not drag his feet on signing the pact after its endorsement by the consultative Loya Jirga. He urged the president to conclude the agreement as soon as possible.
If Karzai continued to dither on the issue, his successor would sing the BSA because the people of Afghanistan needed continued assistance from the US-led international community.
The United State has been mounting tremendous pressure on President Karzai to sign the BSA, which is vital to a residual American military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014.
Also a former foreign minister, Abdullah once again underlined transparency in the April 5 elections for the sake of peace a smooth power transfer and political stability in the country.
nh/mud
