* Agreement reached on vital draft of security pact

* Afghan elders frustrated by last-minute negotiations

* Washington rejects notion of "apology letter" 

KABUL/WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The United States and Afghanistan reached a draft agreement on Wednesday laying out the terms under which U.S troops may stay beyond 2014, one day before Afghan elders are to debate the issue.

A draft accord released by the Afghan government appears to meet U.S demands on such controversial issues as whether U.S troops would unilaterally conduct counterterrorism operations, enter Afghan homes or protect the country from outside attack.

Without the accord, Washington has warned it could withdraw its troops by the end of next year and leave Afghan forces to fight a Taliban-led insurgency without their help.

Thousands of Afghan dignitaries and elders are due to convene in a giant tent in the capital Kabul on Thursday to debate the fate of U.S forces after a 2014 drawdown of a multinational NATO force.

"We have reached an agreement as to the final language of the bilateral security agreement that will be placed before the Loya Jirga tomorrow," U.S Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in the U.S capital, referring to the gathering.

The draft agreement is to take effect on Jan. 1, 2015, and says it will remain in effect "until the end of 2024 and beyond, unless terminated."

A senior U.S administration official said there has been no decision on the size of any post-2014 U.S force, however the administration does not foresee a residual force staying in Afghanistan until anywhere near 2024.

Intense negotiations between Kabul and Washington have provoked frustration among the Afghan tribal and political elders who made perilous journeys from all over the country to the capital Kabul for a grand assembly to debate the pact.

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