Sec. 1224. SENSE OF CONGRESS COMMENDING THE ENDURING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND AFGHANISTAN

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## SEC. 1224 SENSE OF CONGRESS COMMENDING THE ENDURING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND AFGHANISTAN ###

(a)Findings Congress makes the following findings: ####

(1)The United States and Afghanistan have been allies in the conflict against al Qaeda and its affiliates for over a decade, with the shared goal of ensuring that Afghanistan is never again a sanctuary for al Qaeda. ####

(2)The United States and Afghanistan are committed to the framework agreed to at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO)Summit in Lisbon in 2010, and reaffirmed at the NATO Summit in Chicago in 2012, for the transition from coalition forces to the Afghan National Security Forces of lead responsibility for security throughout Afghanistan by the end of 2014. ####

(3)In June 2011, President Barack Obama said, “What we can do, and will do, is build a partnership with the Afghan people that endures—one that ensures that we will be able to continue targeting terrorists and supporting a sovereign Afghan government”. ####

(4)In November 2011, a traditional loya jirga in Kabul declared that “strategic cooperation with the United States of America, which is a strategic ally of the people and government of Afghanistan, is considered important in order to ensure political, economic, and military security” and also stated, “Signing a strategic cooperation document with the United States conforms with the national interest of Afghanistan and is of significant importance”. ####

(5)On May 2, 2012, President Obama and President Hamid Karzai signed the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement Between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. ####

(6)At the signing of the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement, President Obama said, “Today we’re agreeing to be long-term partners in combating terrorism, and training Afghan security forces, strengthening democratic institutions and supporting development, and protecting human rights of all Afghans. With this agreement, the Afghan people, and the world, should know that Afghanistan has a friend and a partner in the United States”. ####

(7)At a May 20, 2012, bilateral meeting with President Karzai at the NATO Summit in Chicago, President Obama said that the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement “reflects a future in which two sovereign nations—the United States and Afghanistan—are operating as partners, to the benefit of our countries’ citizens, but also for the benefit of peace and security and stability in the region and around the world”. ####

(8)President Karzai said at the May 20, 2012, bilateral meeting with President Obama, “Mr. President, the partnership that we signed a few weeks ago in Kabul has turned a new page in our relations. And the new page is a page of two sovereign countries working together for the mutual interests—peace and security and in all other areas”. ####

(9)On May 26, 2012, the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the Afghan parliament, approved the Agreement by a vote of 191-7 with 2 abstentions. ####

(10)On June 3, 2012, the Meshrano Jirga, the upper house of the Afghan parliament, approved the Agreement by a vote of 67-13. ####

(11)On July 8, 2012, at the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan, the international community and the Government of Afghanistan reaffirmed their partnership in the economic growth and development of Afghanistan through a process of mutual commitments and accountability. ####

(12)On July 4, 2012, the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement entered into force. ###

(b)Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— ####

(1)the members of the United States Armed Forces, intelligence community, and diplomatic and development community of the United States are to be commended for their dedicated efforts and sacrifices in support of military and stability operations in Afghanistan that have helped strengthen security in Afghanistan, laid the foundation for transition to a long-term partnership between the United States and a sovereign Afghanistan, and supported the Government and people of Afghanistan as they continue to build their capacity to effectively and justly govern; ####

(2)the United States negotiating team for the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement, including the United States Embassy personnel in Kabul under the leadership of Ambassador Ryan Crocker, is to be commended for its committed diplomatic efforts; ####

(3)the Governments of the United States and Afghanistan are to be commended for concluding the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement; ####

(4)Congress supports the objectives and principles of the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement, including protecting and promoting shared democratic values, advancing long-term security, reinforcing regional security and cooperation, fostering social and economic development, upholding the rights of women and minorities, and strengthening institutions and governance in Afghanistan; ####

(5)it is essential that the Government and people of Afghanistan fulfill Afghanistan’s international commitments as agreed at the Tokyo Conference of July 2012, the Bonn Conference of December 2011, the Kabul Conference of July 2011, and other venues to combat corruption, protect the equal rights of all citizens of Afghanistan and enforce the rule of law, hold free and fair elections in 2014, and build inclusive and effective institutions of democratic governance; ####

(6)a key national security interest of the United States is to maintain a long-term political, economic, and military relationship with Afghanistan, including a limited presence of United States Armed Forces for the purpose of training, advising, and supporting Afghan National Security Forces and cooperating on shared counterterrorism objectives; ####

(7)the negotiation and conclusion of a Bilateral Security Agreement, as called for in the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement, will provide a fundamental framework for the long-term security relationship between the United States and Afghanistan; and ####

(8)Congress has a critical role in continuing to provide the support and assistance necessary to achieve the goals of the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement.