UNITED NATIONS, Oct 12 (AFP) - The UN Security Council and Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday both praised Afghanistan's historic presidential election as a landmark step forward for the country.
The 15-nation council called Saturday's vote "a milestone in the political process" and pledged continuing support for the government and people of Afghanistan as they "assume their rightful place in the community of nations."
The council also urged the nation to press forward with parliamentary elections set for April.
"The Security Council calls upon the Afghan authorities to plan and carry out without delay inclusive parliamentary elections and calls upon the international community to support them," it said in a statement.
On a visit to China, Annan released a message of congratulations to the Afghan people for the October 9 vote, which had been delayed because of security concerns.
He praised their "heart-warming" determination to cast their ballots, braving both bad weather and intimidation by "extremists" who had threatened to disrupt the polling.
"Democracy is firmly taking root in Afghanistan," the UN chief said.
"Congratulations are also in order for your national security forces. They have been able to preempt or repel those who had unsuccessfully tried to derail voter registration and were committed to impede this election," he said.
The UN's assistant secretary general for peacekeeping, Hedi Annabi, told the Security Council in a briefing that there had been some incidents of trouble, including rockets fired at or near polling stations in south and east Afghanistan.
"In the end, the security conditions on electoral day greatly exceeded our expectations," he said.
Vote-counting could start as soon as Wednesday, and Annabi cautioned that problems could still arise.
"We should guard against complacency and be aware that difficult challenges continue to lie ahead. But the past few days ... are a source of optimism," he said.