President Karzai has, in my view, unwisely decided to gamble with the lives of millions of his citizens with a delay in signing the Bilateral Security Agreement.

Prolonged delay in concluding the BSA... can only diminish the prospect that these pledges will be fully met.

I do not believe that there can be any serious doubt that the Afghan people want the United States and NATO forces to stay.

I am also deeply concerned about the disenfranchisement of women, especially in rural areas.

Clearly, our intent with those drugs...was to create the opportunity for those drugs to be available for rare diseases.

Do not make the same mistake we did. You know, we kissed the Americans good-bye, and we need them today.

I don't believe that there can be any serious doubt that the Afghan people want American and NATO forces to stay and recognize that the BSA is a necessary prerequisite.

The longer this uncertainty about the future international commitment to Afghanistan continues, the more anxiety will increase.

Do not think you can bluff them, and do not be foolish enough to think that, if they depart, your life is going to be better.

Without continued international military and economic support, Afghanistan risks falling back into civil war.

I see little chance that the BSA will not be eventually concluded.

Simply put, at some point the United States has to ask if we should let our long-term interests and our substantial investments in Afghanistan be determined by a lame-duck President.