US officials say progress made in Afghan talks

AAA  Oct. 12, 2013 3:52 AM ET
US officials say progress made in Afghan talks
By MATTHEW LEEBy MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer  

Hamid Siddiq, Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Acting Chief of Protocol, left, walks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, as Kerry arrives for a second meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013. The future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan after the last troops leave at the end of 2014 may depend on whether U.S. officials like Kerry can allay Karzai's worries about sovereignty, Pakistan and the safety of Afghan citizens at the hands of Western troops. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Hamid Siddiq, Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Acting Chief of Protocol, left, walks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, as Kerry arrives for a second meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013. The future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan after the last troops leave at the end of 2014 may depend on whether U.S. officials like Kerry can allay Karzai's worries about sovereignty, Pakistan and the safety of Afghan citizens at the hands of Western troops. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry takes off in a black hawk helicopter in Kabul, Afghanistan, after arriving on an unannounced visit to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, second from left, walks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the Presidential Palace during Kerry's unannounced stop to meet wit Karzai in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace during an unannounced stop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Kerry flew to Afghanistan Friday for urgent talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai as an end of October deadline looms for completing a security deal that would allow American troops to remain in Afghanistan after the end of the NATO-led military mission next year. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. officials say some progress has been made in U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on a security deal to allow American troops to remain in the country after the NATO-led military mission ends next year.

The officials said talks were extended Saturday on a bilateral security agreement that the United States wants by the end of October. They were speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the negotiations.

Kerry's unannounced overnight visit to Kabul comes as talks foundered over issues of Afghan sovereignty despite a year of negotiations.

Talks resumed Saturday as they tried to resolve Karzai's demand for guarantees against future foreign intervention, and U.S. demands that a residual force be able to conduct counterterrorism operations.

Associated Press



Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-12-Kerry-Afghanistan/id-ca9dca57063c4cb1873b7d1749805937
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