Afghanistan Has Until February To Sign The U.S. - Afghan Security Agreement

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, speaks with troops and leaders on Kandahar Air Base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Dec. 8, 2013. Hagel visited the troops on the ground to thank them for their service during the holiday season. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Hagel Softens On Troop Deal, Gives Karzai Until February - But Not April -- Defense One

After weeks of insisting that a post-2014 troop deal be signed by the end of the year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel now says that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has until February’s NATO meeting.

Hagel met with the Afghan defense minister in Kabul this weekend -- but not President Hamid Karzai – and said a decision has to be made before next February’s meeting of NATO defense ministers, backing off the administration’s initial demands that the deal is done by the end of the year.

Hagel still wants a deal by Dec. 31 and said he was reassured by the defense minister that the deal, which was overwhelmingly approved by the loya jirga, would be inked by then. Asked by reporters in Kabul what the final cutoff date is for a troop deal, Hagel said, “I'm not prepared to give a date on that. But I would say that one of the things you might want to look at is the NATO defense ministers' ministerial meeting at the end of February. And some answer's going to be required at that NATO ministerial.”

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My Comment: I will wager that the deal will not be signed in February .... or even April.