Obama and Brown back Karzai as President

Mon Nov 2 2009 19:54:00

The White House has declared that Hamid Karzai is the legitimate president of Afghanistan, while adding that President Obama's decision on whether to send more U.S. troops there is still weeks away.

Mr Obama said he spoke to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and pressed him on better governance and corruption after a "messy" election. The US President also said he told Mr Karzai he would monitor the situation to ensure there is progress in Afghanistan.

A run-off Afghan presidential election scheduled for November 7 was called off after opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of the race.

The former foreign minister quit over the weekend, citing doubts about the credibility of the election process. The first vote was dogged with fraud and corruption.

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown welcomed Hamid Karzai's election to a second term as President of Afghanistan and urged him to set out a "unity programme" for the future of the country.

Downing Street said Mr Karzai's confirmation as victor of the disputed presidential election brings the deployment of an additional 500 UK troops to the country a step closer.

The election commission's chief Azizullah Ludin has said: "The Independent Election Commission declares the esteemed Hamid Karzai as the president ... because he was the winner of the first round and the only candidate in the second round."

Tory leader David Cameron said the UK and its allies could not offer a "blank cheque" to President Karzai and support was tied to efforts to end corruption.

Earlier UN chief Ban Ki-moon made a visit to Kabul that had not been announced in advance, as diplomatic efforts gathered pace to resolve the prolonged political crisis.

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