U.S., Afghanistan Complete Partnership Talks

Wall Street Journal - The U.S. and Afghanistan completed negotiations Sunday on a long-term strategic-partnership deal outlining America's commitments after most foreign forces leave in 2014, officials from both countries said. After months of sometimes-strained negotiations, Afghan and U.S. officials signed off on a framework agreement, paving the way for U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai to seal the deal before next month's North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Chicago. The partnership agreement ensures that the U.S. will continue to support Afghanistan even after it ends major combat operations and scales back its development projects over the next two years. "The document finalized today provides a strong foundation for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world, and is a document for the development of the region," said Rangin Dafdar Spanta, Mr. Karzai's national-security adviser, who led negotiations for the Afghan government. The strategic-partnership deal will commit the U.S. to more than a decade of economic and financial support for the Afghan state, which is still battling a resilient Taliban-led insurgency. While the agreement still requires review from policy makers in both countries, neither side expects any significant roadblocks that could derail the deal, officials say. Read More News New Mexico

U.S., Afghanistan Complete Partnership Talks