KABUL: Afghanistan’s president says any decision on a permanent US military presence in the country must be made by Afghans and take into account the concerns of neighboring countries.
President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that a number of American officials have raised the issue of establishing permanent US bases in the country. He didn’t say whether any formal requests had
been made.Karzai didn’t rule out the possibility of the US establishing permanent bases. But he says any decision should be made in the context of Afghans assuming greater authority over the country, and not being subject to ”foreign influence.”
He added that the decision would need to take into consideration the views of Afghanistan’s neighbours _ countries that include Iran, Pakistan and China. – AP
