Afghan Loya Jirga recommends strategic partnership with U.S.

Afghan Loya Jirga recommends strategic partnership with U.S.

The traditional Afghan Loya Jirga, or grand assembly of tribal elders, notables, lawmakers and government functionaries, concludes on Saturday with recommendations to government on inking strategic partnership with Washington.

The majority of the more than 2,300 participants, in their speeches at the last day of the four-day national forum, expressed their backing to the proposed strategic partnership with the United States.

One of the speakers, Totakhil, in his short address at the meeting, said, "We support the strategic partnership with the U.S. but the conditions are that Afghanistan, in spite of having strategic relations with Washington, should have the right to have friendly relations with any other country if it wants."

"Afghanistan's national sovereignty should be preserved and the U.S. troops, after leaving Afghanistan, should hand over all their weaponry to Afghan Defense Ministry," Totakhil further noted.

Another speaker, Shamael Hawida, in her speech, backed the proposed strategic relations with U.S. with conditions, saying, " We support the strategic relationship with U.S. but we want the American soldiers to be tried in accordance with Afghan constitution if they commit a crime here."

"America should not have the right to take action against any country on Afghan soil," another speaker, Ghulam Jilani Zawak, stressed in his speech.

Zawak, who heads the 18th committee of the Loya Jirga, also admitted that seven members of his committee are against inking strategic partnership with the United States.

He also said that the U.S., after inking agreement with Afghanistan, should pay more attention to economic development in the war-ravaged country.

Other speakers also, in their addresses, preconditioned inking strategic partnership with U.S. in halting night raids by U.S. troops on Afghan villages and arresting Afghans, handing over detention centers to Afghan government and checking foreign interference and cross border terrorism from Pakistan.

The historic Loya Jirga inaugurated by President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday has been divided into 40 committees to discuss the proposed strategic partnership with the U.S. and government- initiated peace talks with Taliban.

All the debates of the four-day Jirga is going to be concluded Saturday as per schedule.

This Jirga, according to its spokesperson Safia Sediqi is acting as "Consultative Body" and all its decisions would be forwarded to the parliament for ratification.

English.news.cn   2011-11-19 16:39:12 FeedbackPrintRSS
KABUL, Nov. 19 (Xinhua)