Friday, February 12, 2010 WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Thursday called Viktor Yanukovych to congratulate him on winning Ukraine's presidential election, describing the poll as a new step forward for democracy. Pro-Russian Yanukovych beat Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko by 3.5 percent in Sunday's vote, but she has not yet conceded and her party has alleged substantial fraud. International observers and Western states however hailed the vote as fair and clean. "President Obama called Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine today to congratulate him on his election and wish him success in carrying out his mandate," the White House said in a statement. "This peaceful expression of the political will of Ukrainian voters is another positive step in strengthening democracy in Ukraine." The statement said Obama and Yanukovych agreed on the need to continue cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and wished their respective teams luck in the Winter Olymp...
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