US-Afghanistan deal, national treachery against Afghans

217.218.67.244:8181/video/site video/04-23-2012/mohammad miraki.flv

Press TV has talked with author and Afghanistan expert, Dr. Mohammad Daud Miraki from Chicago, to further discuss the issue.

The following is a rough transcript of the interview.

Press TV: A salient feature of the deals called Status of Forces agreement or SOFA, between the US and host countries is immunity against a criminal jurisdictions of the host country.

Do you think President Karzai is ready to accept such provision for the US troops?

Miraki: Thank you for having me, it is difficult to say.

It is my understanding that the Karzai government is a stooge government, it is a puppet regime.

So it is expected to accept whatever provision they stipulate and set forward, but it is my understanding that if you look at past history of the US crimes in Afghanistan, Afghan governments simply provided lip service and never really stood its ground and never really demanded anything and besides they are not in any position to demand anything.

After all, Afghanistan is an occupied country, but this question needs to be asked from Hamid Karzai and considering his history of the past 10, 11 years, he has been nothing but accommodating to the US forces and the remaining foreign forces 49+ countries that have been occupying Afghanistan.

So it is my estimate that it may not be a big deal for them. After all the same charade that has been also concocted in Iraq by the Iraqi government and so Afghanistan’s affairs are in the hands of the United States and the security in the hands of the United States.

So my estimate is that it might not be an issue for them.

Press TV: Now what position do you think the Parliament in Afghanistan would take, regarding this agreement?

Miraki: Well, the parliament in Afghanistan it all depends on what sort of coalition gets formed there. But even in the parliament of Afghanistan unfortunately, large segment in the parliament of Afghanistan are being supported by foreign forces.

After all their salary comes from the foreign forces, from the United States and NATO and whatever else arrangement they have.

There are of course elements within Afghan parliament that would express their outrage.

In fact this agreement in as well as the conditions that i.e. the immunity from criminal conduct, that may be a big deal for them and there are a handful of individuals that may express their outrage.

But it needs to be put in the larger context. It is not important what Karzai says and what the parliament says. None of them has the legitimacy that a normal independent country should have.

After all their affairs are entirely in the hands of the US forces and in the hands of the NATO forces and they simply listen and obey and nod their head to whatever they here from Washington and from London and whatever else capital cities that are occupying Afghanistan.

So they may agree or disagree it is of no consequence, because the people of Afghanistan disagree and we condemn it.

Press TV: On various occasions people in Afghanistan have witnessed atrocities committed by the US troops.

How would they feel about the agreement, when it is agreed?

Miraki: As you have seen the reporting and of course your reports have seen it also, on the ground in Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan are entirely opposing this national treachery.

I can not call it agreement but national sellout I can call it, because they disagree with it, they condemn it; you know one has to put forth the very basic question.

A lot of people say that how are the, let us say, 15,000, 20,000 Taliban are able to fight against 150,000 foreign troops, 150,000 stooge government troops and almost half a million troops.

The basic answer to this is, the Taliban or other insurgent groups that are fighting against the US forces and their occupation are wholeheartedly supported by the Afghan people.

Hence the Afghan people oppose this nightmare, they condemn it and it is nothing but an occupation and any decent people of Afghanistan who are indeed decent and have a history of independent struggle against foreign forces, they will never accept it and I must add that the resistance will continue their struggle against this occupation and they have no interest of talking to this stooge government in Kabul, the government of Hamid Karzai.