President Hamid Karzai has recently said that his administration would be only ready to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States when Washington guarantees Afghanistan's security and equip the Afghan forces.
Speaking with elders from Laghman province on Sunday, President Karzai said the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) should be equipped with modern weaponries, Afghan officials said.
The lead US negotiator of the agreement, James Warlick, said the partnership "will provide for security and stability in the future".
"The end result will be an enduring security partnership. A real partnership that will provide for security and stability in the future," the US embassy said in a statement, attributing it to Ambassador Warlick, who is also the Deputy for Washington's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"We have to respect for the sovereignty of Afghanistan. That is one of the foundations for this agreement. Afghanistan is a country where the government and the people should determine its course ahead," the statement said.
"As a result of that we have a respect for the sovereignty of this country. We want to join with you in ensuring that any threats to the sovereignty of this country can be addressed in a productive way. That's part of this agreement."
President Karzai had said that the security agreement would only be signed once a Loya Jirga endorsed it. He has not disclosed when the Loya Jirga would be convened.