Karzai Refuses to Sign U.S. Security Deal Afghan President Hamid Karzai inspects a guard of honour during Independence Day celebrations at the Defence Ministry compound in Kabul on Aug. 19, 2013. Afghanistan's president declined to sign a security deal approved by a group of Afghan elders, delaying the process to plan for a United States's military presence after 2014. Hamid Karzai said Sunday he would not sign the Bilateral Security Agreement unless the conditions of "security," "peace" and "a proper election" on April 5 had been met, the Associated Press reports. The Loya Jirga, a national consortium of Afghan leaders and tribe elders who overwhelmingly approved the deal, urged Karzai to approve it before the end of the year. President Barack Obama's administration has warned Afghanistan leaders that if the deal is not approved before next year, it could compromise the agreement to allow U.S. soldiers to remain to train and assist government security with a mounting Taliban insurgency.