Key Facts on U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
May 1, 2012
Fact Sheet: The U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement
In May 2010, in Washington, DC, President Obama and President Karzai
committed our two countries to negotiate and conclude a strategic partnership
that would provide a framework for our future relationship. On May 1, 2012,
President Obama and President Karzai signed the Enduring Strategic Partnership
Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of
America.
The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) is a legally binding executive
agreement, undertaken between two sovereign nations. The President's goal in
negotiating such an agreement has been to define with the Afghan Government
what's on the other side of Transition and the completed drawdown of U.S.
forces. The agreement the President signed today will detail how the partnership
between the United States and Afghanistan will be normalized as we look beyond a
responsible end to the war. Through this Agreement, we seek to cement an
enduring partnership with Afghanistan that strengthens Afghan sovereignty,
stability and prosperity, and that contributes to our shared goal of defeating
Al Qaeda and its extremist affiliates.
The Agreement signed today affirms that cooperation between Afghanistan and
the United States is based on mutual respect and shared interests. In this
Agreement, we commit ourselves to the sovereignty, independence, territorial
integrity and national unity of Afghanistan. The Agreement is not only a signal
of the United States' long-term commitment to Afghanistan, but it enshrines our
commitments to one another and a common vision for our relationship and
Afghanistan's future. U.S. commitments to support Afghanistan's social and
economic development, security, institutions and regional cooperation are
matched by Afghan commitments to strengthen accountability, transparency,
oversight, and to protect the human rights of all Afghans - men and women.
In addition to recognizing the progress that has been made together over
the past 10 years, the Strategic Partnership Agreement includes mutual
commitments in the areas of:
.. Protecting and Promoting Shared Democratic Values
.. Advancing Long-Term Security
.. Reinforcing Regional Security and Cooperation
.. Social and Economic Development
.. Strengthening Afghan Institutions and Governance
When it comes to an enduring U.S. presence, President Obama has been
clear: we do not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan. Instead, the
Strategic Partnership Agreement commits Afghanistan to provide U.S. personnel
access to and use of Afghan facilities through 2014 and beyond. The Agreement
provides for the possibility of U.S. forces in Afghanistan after 2014, for the
purposes of training Afghan Forces and targeting the remnants of al-Qaeda, and
commits the United States and Afghanistan to initiate negotiations on a
Bilateral Security Agreement to supersede our current Status of Forces
Agreement. The United States will also designate Afghanistan a "Major Non-NATO
Ally" to provide a long-term framework for security and defense
cooperation.
To be clear, the Strategic Partnership Agreement itself does not commit the
United States to any specific troop levels or levels of funding in the future,
as those are decisions will be made in consultation with the U.S. Congress. It
does, however, commit the United States to seek funding from Congress on an
annual basis to support the training, equipping, advising and sustaining of
Afghan National Security Forces, as well as for social and economic
assistance.
Finally, the Strategic Partnership establishes implementing arrangements
and mechanisms to ensure that we are effectively carrying out the commitments
we've made to one another. To ensure the Strategic Partnership is effectively
implemented, the Afghanistan-United States Bilateral Commission will be
established, chaired by Foreign Ministers or their designees.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. )
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