The main challenger heading into Afghanistan's presidential run-off, Abdullah Abdullah, has telephoned President Hamid Karzai in their first confirmed contact since the August vote.
'Last night I contacted Mr Karzai and I thanked him for his words and for his acceptance of the outcome of the elections,' Mr Abdullah said.
The telephone call is the first confirmed contact between the two rivals, who have fought a bitter battle since campaigning began for the 20 August presidential vote, since mired in evidence of massive fraud.
Separately, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he is seeking to replace more than 200 poll monitors implicated in fraud in the election.
Speaking to the BBC, he said the UN would 'take all necessary measures, (both) administrative and security' to ensure that irregularities that tainted the first round of voting were not repeated.
'We will try to replace all the officials who have been implicated in not following the guidelines or who have been complicit in fraudulent procedures,' Mr Ban said, promising a 'transparent and credible' run-off.
