(VOVworld) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday called on the Taliban and their allies to join an assembly on a security pact that could allow some US troops to stay in the country after 2014. Around 2,500 tribal elders and civil leaders are expected to take part in an assembly known as a ‘loya jirga’ next Thursday, to decide whether to accept the draft Bilateral Security Agreement between Afghanistan and the US.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Photo: AFP

The draft pact was proposed in Kabul last month during a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry. But he left without a final deal as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said only a jirga had the authority to decide the contentious issues. These include a US demand to retain legal jurisdiction over its troops in Afghanistan, which would give them immunity from Afghan law.