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Hu congratulates Karzai on reelection

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-03 21:20

BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao Tuesday sent a message to Afghan President Hamid Karzai congratulating him on his reelection.

"As close neighbors, the peoples of China and Afghanistan share a long tradition of friendly exchanges," Hu said in the message.

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Thanks to the concerted efforts of both countries, China and Afghanistan had set up a comprehensive cooperative partnership and brought their ties to a new phase of development in recent years, he said.

The Chinese government had always respected Afghanistan's independence and sovereignty and territorial integrity, and supported the social system and development model chosen by its people and their efforts for national peace and progress, Hu said.

"In your new tenure, I'd like to work with you to take the China-Afghanistan comprehensive cooperative partnership to a new stage," the president said.

He expressed confidence the Afghan government and people would make new achievements in efforts to peacefully reconstruct their nation and contribute to regional peace, stability and progress.

The Afghan election body, the Independent Election Commission (IEC), on Monday announced Karzai as winner of the election just a day after his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, quit the race over what he described as the "biased stance of the IEC" in favour of the sitting president.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US President Barack Obama, Pakistani Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have congratulated Karzai on his reelection.