UN chief extends warm congratulations to Iranian president-elect

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday extended his "warm congratulations" to Hassan Rouhani, the confirmed winner of the Iranian presidential elections.

Ban conveyed the message in a statement issued here by his spokesman.

"The secretary-general has been closely following the eleventh presidential election in Iran held on June 14 and notes with satisfaction the reported high turnout," said the statement.

"The secretary-general intends to remain engaged with the Iranian authorities and with the president-elect on issues of importance to the international community and the welfare of the Iranian people," the statement said. "He will continue encouraging Iran to play a constructive role in regional and international affairs."

Rouhani won 18,613,329 votes, accounting for 50.7 percent of all the votes, with a turnout rate of 72.2 percent, said Iran's Minister of Interior Affairs Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar in Tehran, the Iranian capital, Saturday.

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