Paris: President Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday assured Hamid Karzai of France's "full backing" as he congratulated the Afghan leader on his re-election.
"You have managed since the first round to get the most support from the Afghan people," Sarkozy said in a letter released by his office.
"You must move forward..." he said, adding: "France will remain at the side of the Afghan people as long as necessary... I assure you of the full backing of France to the efforts that your government and you are undertaking."
The French president also hailed as a "dignified retreat" opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah's decision to pull out of the presidential election second round.
Karzai was Tuesday declared the winner of the presidential poll by the Afghan election commission after Abdullah pulled out of the run-off. Abdullah had alleged massive fraud in the first round.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, November 03, 2009, 10:11