hamid karzai and washington wrangle over afghanistan's future security. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead - rescue workers pull bodies from the rubble of a collapsed supermarket in latvia. >> i'm tim friend at london police headquarters where detectives are investigating the case of three women held as slaves for 30 years. >> welcome to the program. afghan tribal leaders are meeting for a second day to discuss a crucial security deal for the united states. both sides have not been able to agree on when to implement the agreement. at the loya jirga meeting president hamid karzai said he wanted the deal signed after elections. the u.s. want it completed by the end of next year. it sets out rules over jurisdiction and power of troops that will remain in the county, we'll get more from jane ferguson. the u.s. said it's not practical or possible to delay signing the deal. clearly comments took everyone by surprise. >> they did. they have been described by journalists reporting the story as a bombshell for afghans as well as those in washing

hamid karzai told them he received a letter from barack obama assuring him u.s. troops would raid afghan homes in exceptional circumstances. >> translation: our loya jirga has only got one purpose - that is to discuss and deeply investigate the security agreement with the u.s. you are here representing the afghan nation, my dear elders, scholars, clergy and everyone else. you are representing a nation that has suffered for the last 40 years. you are gathered here to look at a vital issue for the afghan nation and discuss and consult about that issue. i was under pressure not to organise a loya jirga. but when it comes to issues of national significance it is important to hold the loya jirga. >> let's look closer at the u.s.-afghan deal that could see up to 15,000 foreign troops stay in the country. the draft bilateral agreement, or bsa gives washington essentially what it wanted - immunity from prosecution for u.s. forces and gives them the right of self-defence; permission to carry out house raids after 2014, but only at the afghan military's invitation. jane fe

hamid karzai says he won't approve it until new demands are met. the deal will keep thousands of u.s. troops there past the end of next year, susan rice was face to face with hamid karzai in afghanistan urging him not to delay the deal. >> if the agreement is not signed promptly, what i said to the president is we would have no choice, we'd be compelled by necessity, not our preference, to begin to plan for the prospect that we will not be able to keep our troops here. they will not be invited because the bsa will not have been signed. the nature of our investment would be more difficult to sustain. >> the proposal keeps troops in afghanistan through 2024. the white house says all troops will be pulled out if the deal is not signed, until the end of the year. >> if it doesn't go through charities by international

president hamid karzai is refusing to s

hamid karzai says he won't approve it until new demands are met. the deal will keep thousands of u.s. troops there past the end of next year, susan rice was face to face with hamid karzai in afghanistan urging him not to delay the deal. >> if the agreement is not signed promptly, what i said to the president is we would have no choice, we'd be compelled by necessity, not our preference, to begin to plan for the prospect that we will not be able to keep our troops here. they will not be invited because the bsa will not have been signed. the nature of our investment would be more difficult to sustain. >> the proposal keeps troops in afghanistan through 2024. the white house says all troops will be pulled out if the deal is not signed, until the end of the year. >> if it doesn't go through charities by international donors will be jeopardized. jane ferguson has this report from kabul. >> these boys used to spend all day picking rubbish off the street to sell for a few dollars. now they go to school, courtesy of a local charity, helping children who wo

hamid karzai is pushing them to help talk to the taliban. it was a backer of the taliban when it ruled the country during the late 1990s. the visit comes at a time when hamid karzai is locked in a dispute with the u.s. over a security pact. it covers the role of u.s. soldiers that will remain in afghanistan after the pull-out. let's speak to jane ferguson who is in kabul. the first time the pakistani prime minister has been in kabul since he took his third term. what is he doing there today? >> we are likely today to see high-heavily talks between prime minister nawaz sharif and hamid karzai. nawaz sharif is likely to meet with the high-peace counsel, the body of elders gathered together since 2010 to try to push forward peace talks. they have been fraught with difficulty and stopped and started over the years. it will be crucial to his visit, speaking with the high suppose counsel. and we have spoken with a senior member this morning, who pushed the fact this they want the pakistani authorities to facilitate direct talks between the governm

that was in relation to president hamid karzai's announcement that he would not sign until april. sunday he stuck to his position that he needed more time to get a better deal from washington. that didn't satisfy the head of the jirga, the drama playing out on tv. >> translation: i want to repeat again - americans cannot go into our houses after the bilateral document. they cannot kill anyone in their house. the afghan people will be safe, peace will come. it will not be a case of americans sitting in their place and we'll have a war. i don't accept that. this decision is historical. >> translation: whatever the president is saying is right. americans do not have any right to enter afghan houses. they have given us that in writing and promised. a superpower cannot break their promise. if they do we are ready to protest. >> translation: sir, no protests. termina terminating the bilateral, they have to promise they are not killing afghans in their houses. they have to do that. . >> translation: okay, all right. sign this first. if they break the promise we know what to do. >> transl

but the mea culpa comes after hamid karzai laid down a stern ultimatum to the u.s. i want to bring in our pentagon correspondent, chris lawrence. busy day over at the pentagon. chris, this apology comes from high up in the chain of command. tell us about it. >> reporter: yeah, jim. this is coming from the commander of all nato forces in afghanistan, general joseph dunford. officials are telling us that basically this four-star general quickly called president hamid karzai to apologize for this drone strike and potential civilian casualties and promised a very quick investigation into what took place. but hamid karzai is driving a very hard line on this, and it's a hard line that could affect thousands of american troops for years to come. a young afghan child is dead, two women wounded after u.s. officials admit a drone strike in helmut province missed its target. the second air strike did take out a taliban commander. >> show respect to the afghan people. >> reporter: but that did nothing to pacify afghan president hamid karzai, who lashed out at u.s. officials and

the president hamid karzai refuse to say sign the agreement un

if you don't sign, we'll be upset and leave until the issue is settled. >> hamid karzai's opposition says delay tactics come from a desire to control the elections. it's not about the concerns that the afghan people have about articles in the bilateral agreements. he's demanded this person, and he mentioned part of it, indeed, in the inauguration speech. he linked the signing of the bilateral agreement with the elections. >> abdullah believes hamid karzai wants the u.s. to support a candidate of his choosing. ever his motives for such decision, president hamid karzai's political moves put him in the lead on this security pact. >> jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul afghanistan. >>> well, here at home the united states is bracing for rough travel during the holidays, a large storm is pushing through the south-west. it's expected to bring snow and sleet to parts of the east coast and the south later this week. ice is snarling highways and airports. the storm has so far killed eight people. >> that's right. more tricky travel on the way as we head into tonight. particularly across i-35, wh

plays hardball with hamid karzai. sign the troop deal or we are out. i am ray suarez. >> that's the insi"inside story" >> america's longest war is almost over, but the transition to the next phase in the u.s.-afghanistan relationship involves a difficult diplomatic dance. the united states negotiated a deal called "the bilateral security accord" which would keep most troops in the country when nato's 75,000 leave next year. the deal hit a signnag. afghan president karzai presented a new last-minute set of demands. on this edition of "inside story" we will discuss america's future in afghanistan. first, this background: >> afghan president hamid karzai again refused to sign the bilateral security agreement on monday. instead, adding more items to a growing list of demands. it was during a last-minute meeting with u.s. national security advisor susan rice that karzi insisted the u.s. would need to start peace talks with the taliban and release 17 after gangs from guantanamo bay before the bilateral security agreement got his signature. but rice said nego

. >> hamid karzai pushed for guarantees that the u.s. would push to fight against foreign aggression. specifically that's a demand for the u.s. to confront pakistani support for armed groups operating in afghanistan. >> afghanistan in the past few decades experiences proxy wars. we have been talking to the u.s., hoping to have a kind of definition for foreign aggression, which could include proxy war and traditional aggression we have seen. >> the heated debate shows it's not a matter of a few u.s. military bases. if the afghan government signs, they want the conditions to be specific. over a year of negotiations between washington and kabul brought the two sides closer. there has been no final agreement. now the afghan president is turning those issues over to a consultative debate in the capital to see if the country's community leaders can give it their support. >> and afghanistan's president hamid karzai is addressing the council, the loya jirga now. this is, in fact, a live look as he briefing them on the security pact with the u.s.

afghan president hamid karzai released a statement accusing u.s. forces of raiding two houses in nangahar province, killing two innocent civilians. he said this gets to the heart of the bilateral security agreement and is what he wants to prevent in the future. isaaf forces responded with strong language saying it was an afghan-led military rain. 100 afghan commanders raided two houses, two were killed and they were accompanied by 17 coalition mentors. they said an unnamed source with isaf said it's unfortunate that the afghan president would use civilian deaths as a weapon. strong language from both sides on the bilateral security agreement. >> polls will open in moray tainia, comingar the legitimacy of the president who came to pour in a military coup. opposition parties are threatening to boycott the votes. >> this is the manslaughter tainian tapp tall -- more it anian capital. people were singing. behind the carnival air, a nation hit by poverty and ipp stability. it's the first elections since a coup toppled the president. the leader is in pow

hamid karzai is trying to get the last little bit out of this. he may not realise this is another american red line. if we leave afghanistan in toto. which we plan to do, we need to start that soon. you do things differently if you go down to 10,000 or down to zero. >> why would karzai do this as kerry and president obama are out there celebrating a deal. why embarrassing them? >> part of this is the awkward position that hamid karzai is in. he's in a bad spot. americans think he's impossible to work with, many of his own people think he's a puppet of america. he really is in a hard spot where it's hard to please both sides. >> the u.s. paid to train and equip afghan security forces. american bases will stay and leave the numbers, depending on what the americans or the afghans want, between 7-15,000 troops, given what happened in iraq, after the u.s. troops pulled out the violence increased, why would afghanistan baulk. >> that's a good question. why are the av bans baulking. ultimately they need us there so the money flow, the international comm

president hamid karzai is sticking to the condition. he won't sign the agreement until after presidential elections next year. >> translation: hamid karzai doesn't have the right to say these words. this is a big mistake. whether we want from them and hamid karzai wants from them, it has been accepted. he wants to delay the agreement. this is not for the benefit of afghanistan. this is to the dertryment of afghanistan. >> in the busy market of the capital people are worried about their future if the agreement is not signed. >> translation: if pakistanis are enemy, if iranies are enemy and we make america our enemy, how do we make a living. we need support to make a living and develop a stable future >> some believe hamid karzai is worried about his legacy. he doesn't want to be remembered as a president intimidated by foreigners. they point out the country should come first. >> translation: even if hamid karzai sacrifices, he should do an historic thing for the country, where afghanistan, its borders and army are stronger. he should sig

karzai and the u.s. secretary of state john kerry have a ready a reached an agreement that would provide immunity for u.s. troops for another decade now the tribal elders are have their turn to modify the deal after their vote will go on to afghanistan's parliament then back to karzai for his finals. sure but in a surprising turn cause i announce today that he plans to defer the signing to his successor after the elections in april for more on this meeting i'm joined now by

hamid karzai told the group that barack obama sent him a letter assuring him the security pact is in afghanistan's interests and said u.s. troops will enter afghan homes only in exceptional circumstances. >> in pakistan a suspected u.s. drone hits a religious school in the north-west of the country. six were killed. the u.s. says the school is controlled by the haqqani group, linked to the taliban. secretary of state john kerry says counter talks offer the best chance in a decade on iran's nuclear program. six world powers will continue talks on tuesday. >> back in geneva, less than two weeks after the last talks stalled. the e.u. official in charge of foreign affairs, catherine ashton - an interim deal on iran's program seemed close. pressures, constraints on both sides have been growing since

surprise comments from afghan president hamid karzai may jeopardise a deal to keep u.s. troops in the country. >> an 85-year-old u.s. war veteran detained in north korea. he is a tourist, not threat. >> the president has been shot, they are bringing him to the emergency rooms >> two surgeons called in to save president kennedy's life - a moment, 20 years ago, that changed the course of history. . >>> welcome to al jazeera america. an historic turning point in the decade-long debate about the filibuster rule. in a power play senate democrats pushed the button on the nuclear option. majority leader harry reid triggered the role change. more from the white house on the controversial change. >> the senate likes to call itself the world's greatest body. after changing a 100-year-old rule that governed the rule around filibuster, the chamber is in fear of a meltdown. president obama heralded the change. >> people should vote their conscience, on behalf of their constituents. they should vote. that's what they are there to do. >> the president accused the republicans of abusing

their president hamid karzai took to the stage and rei had rd his stance. he wanted more time to better negotiate a deal for afghanistans from the americans of they wanted them to prove america could bring stablity and peace to afghanistan. he wants to put more prs pressun the pakistanis to stop harr harg across the border from afghanistan. he told the jirga tha that. at the end of the day hamid karzai left the jirga hall and said he needed more time and he would sign this when he was happy with it. he said afghanistan could get a better deal from america. he wouldn't say if he would sign it by the end of the year or by the elections next april. people here are left guessing what and when will be signed. it's likely that any negotiations that continue between washington, d.c. and the presidential palace are going to be friendly. >> tens of thousands of anti-government protestors have amassed in ban coul bancok. 2if the bill passed it could hae allowed the prime minister to return from exile. we have this update from bangkok. >> the organizers called it a ma

was the move expected from hamid karzai? >> it was not expected. as the delegates face a last full day of negotiating the pack, the row between hamid karzai and washington d.c. is overshadowing that. the delegates tomorrow are supposed to present opinions on the draft, whether or not they support it or want changes made. really, what people are asking is even if they do support it, will it be signed? the president is sticking to his guns, releasing a statement saying that last night he spoke to u.s. secretary of state john kerry and reiterated his position that he will not sign it until after the presidential elections in april. we have seen an estimate from the u.s. secretary of defense, chuck hagel rejecting that saying it needs to be signed by the end of the year, otherwise he would advise president obama to not make military plans for afghanistan after 2014. >> what happens in the dispute over the timing of the pact is not resolved? >> if it's not resolved there'll be no way of moving forward. the americans are saying that if it's not resolved,

any reassurance that it was under review was from comments by hamid karzai. the concern is will the agreement be signed in time for the u.s. to move combat forces out of afghanistan and deplay a stability team in its place. the military is concerned it will not have enough time to carry out the transition. it involves tens of thousands of troops, equipment and support personnel. they want to make certain they have plenty of time to work out the logistics and the relationship necessary with the afghan military, so that it is a seamless transition. there's this consideration. if hamid karzai gets his way, and the deal is not signed into law and enacted in afghanistan until the middle of 2014, the u.s. fools that creates a vacuum of time, an opportunity for people who don't like the deal to make changes to it. the u.s. fears that it may find itself in a position that it did not want to make in iraq which is not have any u.s. forces in custody. that's what they are trying to avoid. >> coming up - i'll talk with a veteran who has a lot to say about the afghan deal

president obama says is waiting to be signed, but not so fast says hamid karzai. >> my trust with america is not good. i have argued with them regarding the security of our people, and they have made propaganda against me. >> you mentioned the letter that president obama sent, and karzai cited that letter several times. the president trying to nullify and satisfy some of those concerns. we'll read a little bit of it here . . . so what is on the table here? as i mentioned combat forces are supposed to be ending their operations in afghanistan. that is the promise long held by the president at the end of next year, but we're talking about up to 15,000 american troops remaining in afghanistan for quite sometime after that, dell. >> mike, thank you very much. ♪ >>> here are today's business headlines. we are oh so close, positive news on the economy sending stocks higher. right now just 11 points away from dow 16,000, that puts the blue chips above the record closing price set on monday. >>> helping to lift that market, some surprising numbers on the jobs front. and soon taxpayers won't hav

. >> despite late-night negotiations between susan rice and afghan president hamid karzai, the security pact between afghanistan and the u.s. is no closer to being signed. president hamid karzai says that he will not sign the deal until he has certain guarantees from the u.s. he's mentioned various points that he wants to be reassured on - things like the u.s. forces will never enter afghan homes and wants to push the point that afghan detainees be released, and that he won't sign until he's happy with the various conditions that he has. the white house responded with strong long wij. some of the stronger that we have heard. they said if it's not signed by the end of the year, it is unacceptable and they'll have to make plans from afghanistan by the end of next year. they've upped the stakes by mentioning aid money, saying failure to sign the agreement could jeopardise money pledged by n.a.t.o. companies and their allies last year, to help afghanistan post 2014. it upped the stakes. afghanistan depends largely on the aid money, not just military aid but money for the government. neither

presidents hamid karzai is sticking to his position. he won't sign the agreement until after presidential e elections next year. >> ckarzi doesn't have the righ to say these words. this is a big mistake. whatever we want from them and whatever karzai wants from them, it has been accepted. he wants to delay the agreement. this is not for the benefit of afghanistan. this is the detriment of afghanistan. >> in the busy markets of the capital, people are worried about their future if the agreement isn't signed. >> the pakistanis and iraniz and we make america our enemy. we should develop a stable future. some believe karzai is worried about his legacy. he doesn't want to be remembered as a president who was intimidated by foreigners. they, however, point out the country should come first. >> we should do an historic thing he should sign it, we are ready to sacrifice it they beat an effigy of u.s. president bara barack obama administration and sent a clear message. >> we do not want the presidents of any american forces or their alneys our h

the president hamid karzai is saying no. that is putting the whole deal at risk. let's hear from jane ferguson, who is joining us from kabul to tell us why this is a controversial issue, and what else will be covered by the proposed security deal? >> well, this has been a controversial issue for afghans, but especially for the president hamid karzai. he is criticised and said he wants on end to those night raids. he sees it as challenging afghan sovereignty as well as the dignity in the houses searched. this agreement is down to the wire when it comes to the negotiations. there are less than 48 hours left before a draft proposal is meant to be handed over here in the capital. now, sources in the palace tell al jazeera that most of the other issues have been well sorted out between both sides. there were other contentious issues such as immunity from afghan law. it seems to have been smoothed over. the forces will continue to be tried in american courts and subject to us law. another issue which seems to have been agreed on is a tax issue, whereby u.s. military and

also ahead, afghan president hamid karzai complicated a key security agreement with the u.s., telling tribal leaders it should not be finalized until next year. >> ifill: plus, some familiar faces look back at the assassination of president john f. kennedy. >> the air was filled with the most incredible screaming. it was like choirs all singing out of tune. >> woodruff: robert macneil and jim lehrer were both there 50 years ago, covering that fateful day in dallas. >> what the kennedy assassination did for me was forever to keep me aware of the fragility of everything. three rounds fired in 15 seconds changed the course of history. >> woodruff: those are just some of the stories we're covering on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and friends

. >> this is where you have to rely on the political skills of hamid karzai. it is his initiative, and one to support anhese outcome he wants. we will see. -- do youctured is think the relationship between the u.s. and afghanistan will be? will this clear the way for better relations? >> hamid karzai and his relationship with united dates has been a roller coaster, particularly the last few years. he will leave office in 2014. 2014 is setting up to be a remarkable, transformative year for afghanistan, not only ending the war, afghanistan takes the lead of its own security, but also to have a new president. a lot they will have to do to stabilize the relationship going forward. one other thing, obviously what happens in afghanistan will be greatly influenced by what happens in pakistan. >> thank you so much for joining us. to do withran intend its nuclear power program? diplomats a meeting in geneva for more talks. iran's supreme leader in tehran is warning iran will not back one iota from its nuclear plans. in geneva with the latest developments. >> for the th

susan rice's quick trip is the latest evidence nothing is easy when it involves hamid karzai. joining me in our studio "the washington post" chief, first, eye ra iran. ann, you have probably not slept, 70 hours of negotiations without a break. the deal as it final ly came through. if the sense that this is only a very preliminary first step, as senator ayotte was pointing out, could we start the centrifuges yet this is a short window and they are telling the americans we need to move before the hard-liners in both countries close in. >> yeah. there was a real sense that now is the time to make a deal and make the best one you can in a period of time that was shrinking on both sides, political pressures at home for both countries as you mentioned and, also, a sense that further negotiation wasn't getting anywhere. secretary kerry had a feeling at one point during the very, very long day on saturday into saturday night that they'd gone as far as they could, and he thought a deal was possible, but he didn't really know whether they could tally do it. and it wasn't there was some

hamid karzai says he needs more time before signing on the bottom line. a massive snow storm in the united states left eight people dead. the storm was so strong it uprooted a tree that fell on a parked car and killed a woman. >> the snow caused crashes and traffic delays. for more on that in the informational forecast we return to the geologist. >> i'm tracking an upper level low that's been slow-moving across parts of the south-west. it will push off to the east and north-east before paying its away long the state. watching out for rain and snow back into arizona. we are only expecting isolated showers. expect more to accumulate around black staff. winter storm warning is in effect mainly across new mexico into texas, into the dallas, fort worth area. things are quiet. moisture is on the move. we'll deal with a mix bag before it settles into a breezing rain. expect conditions to deteriorate. right now it's cloudy skies for you. there is rain to the west. in the north-east it's colder. strong north-west fetch coming in off the lake. they fear for parts o

hamid karzai wants half of them to be released. he also wants assurances from the u.s. that its forces will not conduct raids on homes in afghanistan plus he wants the u.s. to be committed to reigniting peace talks with the taliban. it's a head scratcher because some experts are saying why would karzai do this and they are saying he's doing it to appease his domestic base to show them he can stand up to a major super power. but it comes with many risks, and one is losing $8 billion in u.s. aid which it needs to train security forces. martha: kelly, thank you very much. bill: a hollywood super producer with a bombshell confession. we'll tell you about the guy behind hits such as "pretty woman" and "hit club." he says he has been living a double life as a spy for a foreign government. martha: this is arlen specter back in 2009. could they once again hang over our holidays? coming up we'll speak with a congressman to hear what he's hearing from folks in georgia. >> that's a vicious, malicious, untrue rumor. martha: from capitol hill too prurl america. obamacare hearings ar

whatever we want from them, whatever hamid karzai wants from them, it's been accepted. he wants to delay the agreement. this is not for the benefit of afghanistan. it's to the detriment of afghanistan >> the agreement means 10,000 u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan in 2014. >> we have weather new, a major storm system heading east across the united states to cause chaos in several states. eight deaths have been blamed on the storm. three in california. strong winds brought down trees and power lines. in other parts of the state heavy snowfall made driving conditions treacherous. storm warnings are still in effect. in nevada the same storm system brought rain. dozens of accidents were reported. flights were also affected. plane were delayed by up to three hours. there's a big mess. >> let's go to the metrologist. the big question is whether there's going to be travel problems for thanksgiving. it's coming up fast? >> what do you get when you add in cold air. a lot of moisture on top of that, thanksgiving. >> it seems like it's a pattern building up. not just weeks, b

. >>> afghan president hamid karzai is refusing to sign a security agreement allowing u.s. troops to remain in the country for years to come. it was approved by a large gathering of afghan tribal elders in kabul. hamid karzai is telling the leaders before he signs the agreement there must be additional commitments from the united states, including no more military raids on homes of citizens, and the release of prisoners held in afghan prisons. hamid karzai needs to make a decision soon, says susan rice. >> if the agreement is not signed promptly, what i said to the president is we would have no choice, we'd be compelled by necessity, not by preference, to have to begin to plan for the prospect that we will not keep our troops here, because they'll not be invited because the dsa will not have been signed. the nature of our partnership and investments made will be more difficult to sustain. >> the united states and international allies are supposed to wrap up combat operations in afghanistan after 2014. they are considering keeping a force there to train afghan forces carry o

. >>> afghan president hamid karzai is rejects u.s. demands that he sign an agreement by the end of the year. tribal leaders are reviewing the deal to keep u.s. troops in afghanistan until 2024. the afghan leader wants the deal on the table agreed to by the loya jirga, but he doesn't want to sign it. how is that going over the white house? >> he doesn't want to sign it. he wants to wait for elections next year, next airline in afghanistan. the white house, u.s. administration, the military, all say no way. that is a bad idea. you're right, president obama had written a letter to m hamid karzai, his counterpart in afghanistan, and president obama tried to follow through on the promise to end combat operations in afghanistan. now america's longest war. he wants to end those combat operations by the end of next year. to do it they have to have a basic security agreement. they call it a bsa. where will u.s. forces remain in afghanistan? what will their duties be? what kind of constraints are they going to be operating under, and how many r

yet hamid karzai taking a harder stand. what do you think about that? there's the leader of afghanistan taking a harder stand than these leaders are depending on. >> this reflects karzai's belief that he is not a pawn of the united states. he will do anything and everything he can to make that clear and he constantly overplays his hand and this is why he has to walk back a lot of these statements later on. the problem is, david, that time is shorter now and patience is wearing thing amongst the allied governments, patience is certainly thing amongst the u.s. congress and by playing this game he puts all of that development money, he puts the willingness to send american men and women over to afghanistan in jeopardy. >> all right, mark, good to see you again, thanks for coming on. >> thanks david. >> you're welcome. >>> collapse of a grocery store roof last week, accepts full responsibility for the tragedy, 54 people were killed, another 40 injured. the collapse was the worst disaster since the split from the soviet union. >>> there's a very sad story co

commander is apologize to go hamid karzai for the drone strike. nato saying it is going to investigate. alex, this comes during an incredibly fraught period between the united states and afghanistan. they had agreed to a draft agreement of a security pact that mapped out what the u.s. withdrawal would have looked like the next several years. hamid karzai said he wouldn't sign it. he would leave it for his successor. the united states trying to convince him to sign off on the agreement now. that was the discussion and the debate prior to this drone strike. certainly that has only increased tensions and made discussions more difficult. >> very, very bad timing on that. kristen, thank you, that the white house >> disputed airspace across the east china sea. they are now demanding identification from any aircraft flying through. it's a restriction they refuse to recognize. the u.s. vision commercial aircraft you should comply with china's request. american, japanese aircraft crossed over the area without authorization. the pentagon says it is going to

whatever we want and whatever hamid karzai wants it has been accepted. he wants to delay the agreement. this is not for the benefit of afghanistan. it's to the detment of afghanistan -- dertment of afghanistan. >> results will be announced tomorrow. if approved 10,000 troops will remain in afghanistan beyond 2014. >> moving to pakistan where thousands protested against the controversial u.s. drone program. diplomatic relations have been improving. we have more on the complex and revolving relationship. >> the message was clear - stop u.s. drone strikes in pakistan. thousands of people gathered near the northern sit of peshawar to protest against the u.s.'s drone campaign by blocking the road used to truck nato supplies in and out of afghanistan. it was organised by the movement for justice party, red by the former cricketer imran khan. >> translation: god willing i have declared today that we altogether are going to stop the native forces, supply lines from stood everyone everywhere will try to stop the supply lines. >> the protest comes days after a rar

really, hamid karzai himself is going to keep these negotiations ongoing. the draft has been largely agreed between him and washington d.c. all that needs to happen is for it to be signed. it doesn't seem that will happen soon. >> it's a major development. we'll look to washington today for reaction on that. al jazeera's jane ferguson reporting from kabul afghanistan. here to talk about how this security agreement might affect afghanistan's future is mr richard bullet a columbian university professor specialising in middle eastern history and the history of islamic countries, thank you for joining us. you heard there are developments in the loya jirga, meanwhile, a lot of afghans seem divided about the presence of u.s. troops, don't they? >> i think there's a division, but the fundamentally this is an agreement that is likely to be approved by the loya jirga. getting the american presence confined to a training role will satisfy many of the reservations that afghans have about the combat role that american had in the past several years. >> help us to unders

first, this background: >> afghan president hamid karzai again refused to sign the bilateral security agreement on monday. instead, adding more items to a growing list of demands. it was during a last-minute meeting with u.s. national security advisor susan rice that karzi insisted the u.s. would need to start peace talks with the taliban and release 17 after gangs from guantanamo bay before the bilateral security agreement got his signature. over. >> if the agreement isn't signed promptly, what i said to the president is we would have no choice. we would be compelled by necessity, not by our preference, to have to begin to plan for the prospect that we will not be able to to keep our troops here because they will not be invited because the bsa will not have been signed. then the nature of our partnership and the investments difficult. >> the meeting with rice came one day after the afghan liter surprised both countries by delaying the bsa's package into law despite nods of approval from the loya jirga's assembly whose endorsement he sought for a long timi a long time. tra tra . >>> a

there are some sticking points, and president hamid karzai threw his u.s. counterparts a loop when he said he did not plan to sign this crucial security agreement that would protect u.s. troops if they do stay past 2014, that he didn't plan to sign it until after the april presidential election, an election in which he has to step down according to the constitution. the white house has already pushed back saying they expect an agreement to be signed by the end of the year. they need mat much -- that much time in order to plan for withdrawal of troops still in afghan. the state department saying this is not acceptable, this bait and switch that karzai pulled, and then karzai, at the same moment he was supposed to sell this agreement to the 2500 elders at the tribal meeting in kabul, ya, he uses the opportunity to say he doesn't trust the americans. so an incredible show by president karzai in kabul. >> he has been a joyous partner for all involved. you mentioned a bait and switch. what compromises did the united states have to make and there is a sense for w

gwen: we heard there was a deal and john kerry basically said there was a deal and hamid karzai showed up and said i don't really trust these americans. that's not helpful. >> after 10 years, it's kind of indicative of the relationship we've had with this guy. and he asked for an apology. as if the president can stand up after all the blood and pressure we expended in afghanistan and apologize for our presence there. so my sense is that karzai doesn't want to be a lame duck. he wants to keep his leverage as long as he can do it. he has some horses in this presidential election field of 11 candidates. i think that he just doesn't want to let go. so he's going to make this very, very difficult. i suspect at the 11th hour on the 11th day he'll accede to this because really the stakes are very high for afghanistan. >> what are the chances that afghanistan starts to go in the way of iraq, in the way we've seen it sort of dissolve on the ground and continue to be a security problem even though, as we saw, that we're leaving. >> as martha knows, iraq is the cautionary tale. we drug those talk

hamid karzai said that as meeting of more than 2,000 tribal leaders when discussing a new security pact between the country. without it, u.s. troops will leave and afghan troops will have to fight the taliban alone. one of the most contentious issues has been giving u.s. troops immunity from prosecution under afghan law, as well as the right to self defense. well under the deal, the u.s. will be allowed to carry out house raised, but only if afghan forces ask them to do so. finally, troop numbers. if the draft is signed, up to 15,000 american soldiers could day behind after 2014. >> there is only one purpose, to discuss and deeply investigate the security agreement with the u.s. >> you are here representing the afghan nation, my dear elders, school lures, slower gee and everyone else, you are representing the nation that has suffered for 40 years. you are gathered to look at a vital issue for the afghan nation and discuss that and cult about that issue. i was under pressure not to organize the loyal jurga but it is important to these these jurgas. >> for more on that, let's go to jane f

an afghan president hamid karzai says he will not sign a long-term security agreement with the united states if the attacks by drone continue. the u.s.-led coalition has apologized for yesterday's strike but karzai says it shows the u.s. does not respect the lives of afghan civilians. for years, our innocent people have become victims in war under the name of terrorism and they have no safety in their hoemd, end quote. u.s. officials say if karzai does not sign that security agreement this year, they'll start making plans to withdrawal all american forces after 2014. katherine live with the news from washington. what's the response? >> isaf acknowledging the incident with coalition officials telling reporters it was a midlevel taliban commander. the statement reads in part, isaf deeply regrets any civilian casualties caused by this air strike yesterday. isaf is committed to assuming all those are taken to prevent civilian casualties. the general in afghan called hamid karzai late last night to personally convey this message, and promising to investigate what happened and how an afghan

. >>> afghan president hamid karzai will not agree to a security deal with the united states before next year's elections. the pact calls for extending the presence of some u.s. troops. 15,000 foreign troops could remain in the country through 2014. >> in latvia 12 are dead after a supermarket collapse. the store is in the northern part of the country. the roof caved in around 6 local time. dozens are trapped. sniffer dogs are searching for survivors. no word on what caused the collapse. two firefighters are among the dead. >> on capitol hill, a new way of doing business. senate democrats use the options. it's making it easier to appoint presidential nominees. republicans call it devastating. >> in london - three women held captive in a home for 30 years. the two suspects were freed on bail after questioning. >> on wall street a new milestone for the dow. those are the headlines. "consider this" coming up next on al jazeera america. teens are cold-cocking strangers. it's turned deadly four times. how widespread is the problem, what is the best place to stop it. we take you to a place str

they want the deal that america wants, even if hamid karzai doesn't. and wait, there's more. carol rosenberg at "the miami herald" doing some intrepid reporting this weekend on president obama closing guantanamo on his own, or at least taking steps in that direction. there, of course, are still more than 160 men still being held at guantanamo. fully, half of them have been cleared for release to their home countries. with congress still constraining the administration's ability to just send these guys home, or at least to prison in their own countries, the obama administration now, within the past few days, has started holding what are effectively parole board hearings for guantanamo prisoners. the prisoners appear on a secured video feed to washington and representatives from the pentagon and the director of national intelligence's office and the state department, even representatives from the homeland security department and the department of justice can all sit there on the other end of the video feed and directly ask questions of the prisoner and his lawyer. essentially,

another curveball from president hamid karzai and pushback from susan rice, which all could impact whether any u.s. troops will stay in afghanistan after 2014. national security correspondent jennifer griffin reports tonight from the pentagon. >> reporter: national security adviser susan rice told president hamid karzai if he did not sign a security agreement promptly, the u.s. would have no choice but to pull all u.s. and nato troops out by the end of 2014. karzai rebuffed 2500 tribal elders who debated for four days. the group agreed the afghan leader should sign a deal. karzai indicated he would not sign the agreement before he steps down as president in april, but he will try to squeeze more concessions from the americans. >> translator: we will fix the agreement and continue our negotiations on it with america. >> reporter: he demanded a release from afghan prisoners from guantanamo bay. some experts say karzai is trying to separate himself from past afghan leaders. >> that has influenced him to make it seem like he's intransigent, that he's willing to stand up to the foreigners. >> r

new demands from afghan president hamid karzai. he said today before he signs a key security agreement, he wants afghan prisoners free from guantanamo bay and he wants the u.s. to help initiate afghan talks with the taliban, something the u.s. has said it cannot do. turning to iran, lawmakers wary of halting the nuclear program are speaking out against the plan t they say congress could legislate new sanctions if iran doesn't yield more ground. john kerry appeals to congress today. >> now, let me tell you what this first step does not do. some people are putting misinformation out on it. i want it to be clear. it does not lift the current architecture of our sanctions our sanctions are banking and oil sanctions. all of the corps sanctions on financial services remain firmly in place. we do this in exchange for iran keeping its ends of the agreement. they will get a small amount of additional money which is totally reversible if we need to, if they don't keep their word. >> joining me to discuss this is michael grim. congressman, it