BEIJING - President Hamid Karzai on Friday briefed diplomats of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on the bilateral security agreement (BSA) between Afghanistan and the United States.

Currently heading a highly-level delegation on a four-day visit to China, the president agreed the security pact, providing for a US military presence in Afghanistan beyond and end to NATO’s combat mission in 2014, should address regional concerns.

At the meeting, SCO Secretary-General Dmitry Mezentsev underlined the grouping’s desire for peace in Afghanistan, which would enter an important phase after the exit of foreign combat troops in 2014.

Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi told Pajhwok Afghan News Karzai, in response to SCO concerns, said that some international troops would stay in his country beyond the conclusion of the combat mission.

Karzai called the illegal drug commerce and problems created by some states a common threat to SCO members and Afghanistan, according to Faizi. The president stressed the need for joint efforts to address the menace.

Later in the evening, Karzai is to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Karzai is expected to seek Chinese leaders’ opinion on the issue of great sensitivity to regional countries. The two sides will also confer on the ongoing Afghan-led reconciliation process and recent development in this regard. (Pajhwok)