Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday, the US envoy appreciated the Independent Election Commission (IEC) decision and assured continued support of his country to the freshly-elected government.  

The IEC declared President Hamid Karzai as the victor on Monday following withdrawal of his rival Abdullah Abdullah from the run-off polls.

Abdullah, who managed to secure nearly 30 per cent of the total valid votes on August 20, wanted key poll officials sacked before he would take part in the second round, earlier slated for November 7.

The decision taken by the IEC was appropriate in the current security situation, said Eikenberry, who added that it was based on the framework of the responsibilities of the commission.

Without going into details, the envoy said withdrawal from the second round was Abdullah's personal choice. Insisting on a strong administration, Eikenberry said his country would stay committed to the elected set up.

Describing insecurity, narcotics and corruption as the main challenges before the government, the envoy expressed the hope that all the obstacles would be removed with the passage of time. He urged Karzai to step up efforts to overcome the problems.

"Karzai must appoint responsible, accountable and like-minded members in his next cabinet. The US and international community will help Karzai's government to overcome the difficulties," said the US ambassador.

frm/dk