White House says no apology planned for Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States does not intend to issue an apology to Afghanistan as part of the framework for a security pact that could allow U.S. troops to remain in the country after 2014, the White House said on Tuesday. The Afghan government said it had reached a deal on a security pact after receiving assurances that President Barack Obama would write a letter acknowledging U.S. mistakes made during the war. Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, told CNN in an interview no apology was in the works. "There is not a need for the United States to apologize to Afghanistan. Quite the contrary," she said. "That is not on the table." (Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler)