HALIFAX – Canada’s defence minister and his counterpart in the U.S. are expressing concerns about problems the Americans are having signing a security pact in Afghanistan.

Chuck Hagel, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, says he needs the deal signed before he recommends to President Barack Obama that U.S. military members continue to risk their lives in the country.

The Americans are trying to work out an agreement with Afghanistan that would lay out how the U.S. military would operate there after next year.

Federal Defence Minister Rob Nicholson says he is also concerned about the negotiations between U.S. officials and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Canada will end its military presence in Afghanistan in March, but the federal government has said it would contribute $100 million annually to support the Afghan military.

Hagel and Nicholson also signed a bilateral agreement to share information about their countries’ activities in the Asia Pacific region.

Nicholson says the agreement provides a basis for the two countries to share information with Asian nations, but he provided few other details.