Afghanistan: Karzai lashes out at U.S. 'threats'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 10 December 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Afghanistan: Karzai lashes out at U.S. 'threats', 10 December 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/52e659c219.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 10, 2013
Afghan President Hamid Karzai (file photo)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accused the United States of behaving like a colonial power in the dispute over a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) needed for some U.S. forces to stay in Afghanistan after 2014.
Karzai initially endorsed that accord but has since refused to promptly sign it.
He made his accusation in an interview with the French daily "Le Monde" published on December 9.
Asked whether the United States was behaving like a colonial power, Karzai answered: "Absolutely."
The paper quoted him as saying: "What I have heard in the past days, what I had heard before, is classic of colonial exploitation."
He also accused U.S. officials of making threats, saying: "The threats they are making, 'We won't pay salaries. We'll drive you into a civil war or into a situation of nonpeace.' These are threats."
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
