Chicago: US President-elect Barack Obama spoke to leaders of six US allies, including Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Saudi King Abdullah, a day after he discussed the pressing issues of economy and climate change with nine world leaders while returning their congratulatory calls.

The 47-year-old Democrat briefly spoke to Zardari, King Abdullah, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and Poland s President Lech Kaczynski and its Prime Minister Donald Tusk yesterday over telephone, thanking them for their congratulatory messages.

The calls generally lasted from five to ten minutes and were mainly introductory in nature, an Obama aide was quoted as saying by The Washington Post .

In Islamabad, Pakistan s official news agency APP reported that Obama pledged his full support to democracy in the country during his telephonic talks with Zardari and hoped the two countries would work together to expand their ties.

During his campaign for the White House, the President-elect had adopted a tough line on Pakistan and made it clear that he would launch military operations against terrorists in that country if the Pakistan government did not do so.
Source : PTI