US will support next Afghan president: Clinton

The United States will support the next Afghan president and recognizes opposition challenger Abdullah Abdullah's decision to withdraw from a runoff, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday.I recognize the decision by Dr Abdullah Abdullah not to participate in the second round of balloting in the Afghan presidential elections, Clinton said in a statement.It is now a matter for the Afghan authorities to decide on a way ahead that brings this electoral process to a conclusion in line with the Afghan constitution, she said. We will support the next president and the people of Afghanistan, who seek and deserve a better future. Clinton said Abdullah ran a dignified and constructive campaign that drew the support of Afghan people across the nation. We hope that he will continue to stay engaged in the national dialogue, and work on behalf of the security and prosperity of the people of Afghanistan, she said.Abdullah withdrew after President Hamid Karzai snubbed a series of demands promoted as a bid to avoid a repeat of massive first-round fraud, with the challenger saying he saw no point in standing in the second round.Abdullah won just over 30 percent in the first round of voting, while Karzai's share of the vote in the first round fell to 49.67 percent after a UN-backed watchdog deemed around a quarter of all votes cast to be fraudulent.