The Afghan president has urged tribal elders to support a security deal with the United States that would keep thousands of American troops in the war for another decade.
But, in a surprising about-face, Hamid Karzai said he did not trust the Americans and would defer the signing ceremony to his successor in next year’s presidential elections.
That would give more time to test US intentions, he said.
In a last-minute bid to bolster support, President Barack Obama sent a letter promising that the US would continue to respect “Afghan sovereignty” and promised that the US military would not conduct raids on Afghan homes except under “extraordinary circumstances,” involving risks to US nationals.
The statement referred to compromises made in the draft text of the agreement.
Mr Karzai’s statement came in his inaugural speech to the Loya Jirga, a consultative council of elders and other dignitaries who hold the power to force changes or entirely derail the pact. He also read Mr Obama’s letter.
The United States has said it will pull all its forces out Afghanistan without a deal, as it did when Iraq also failed to sign a similar agreement.
That would leave the nearly 350,000 Afghan security forces vulnerable as western military leaders widely acknowledge government troops are not yet ready to take on the Taliban alone despite a strong showing this summer.
Senior US military officials say Afghan forces still need at least three to four years of training and mentoring to face a resilient Taliban insurgency that shows no sign of abating or compromising despite US-backed peace talks.
A signed accord will also mean that about 8,000 US troops could stay in Afghanistan for an additional 10 years, which is the duration of the Bilateral Security agreement.
Mr Karzai’s suggestion to push the signing of the agreement back until after the April 5 elections could be a deal breaker since the US wants a deal as soon as possible to allow for preparations to maintain a military presence after 2014, when the majority of foreign combat forces will have left Afghanistan.