THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

All the more so when they continue to drop off sacks of real money in his office every week. But he still has to pretend he is a loyal and devoted Afghan as well. To this end he is speaking out of both sides of his mouth depending on which audience he is in front of.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged tribal elders Thursday to back a vital security pact with the U.S. that would see thousands of foreign troops remain in his war-ravaged country after 2014, though he acknowledged a breakdown in trust between the two nations.

Speaking in Kabul at the start of a four-day gathering of the loya jirga, or grand council, Karzai told delegates: "My trust with America is not good. I don't trust them, and they don't trust me."

He pledged his own support for the bilateral security agreement with Washington, under which he said up to 15,000 foreign troops could stay in Afghanistan following next year's planned military drawdown. But in a potential blow for U.S. dealmakers, the Afghan leader said he would defer any signing of the accord until after the country's April 5 elections.

In a last-minute bid to bolster support, President Barack Obama sent a letter promising that the U.S. will continue to respect "Afghan sovereignty" and vowed that the U.S. military will not conduct raids on Afghan homes except under "extraordinary circumstances," involving urgent risks to U.S. nationals. The statement referred to compromises made in the draft text of the agreement.

Obama also said "we look forward to concluding this agreement promptly" in the letter.

Washington has indicated that it wants the agreement in place as soon as possible to enable the U.S. and NATO to start planning for a post-2014 presence.

Under the plan being presented, the United States would maintain several bases in Afghanistan after the bulk of its forces pull out next year. But in a move that is likely to be opposed by many attending the loya jirga, American soldiers will be given immunity from Afghan prosecution.

No doubt he has passed around a great deal of baksheesh and promise of jobs to the many influential members of the loya jirga. It remains to be seen if he handed out enough to overcome their dislike of "extrality" for US troops.