United States President Barack Obama on Wednesday thanked his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai on his agreeing to stand for a run-off in elections in Afghanistan, saying it would be a step towards formation of a credible government.
The White House informed media persons that during a telephone conversation with Karzai, Obama underscored that this decision was in the best interests of the Afghan people.
Senior US officials said it was not clear whether the run-off would change the timing of Obama's decision on the request for deployment of 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan.