President Hamid Karzai: "This is a good step forward"

Afghanistan will hold a deciding round of its problem-hit presidential poll on 7 November, pitting Hamid Karzai against his rival Abdullah Abdullah.

News of the run-off vote follows weeks of mounting international pressure.

It comes a day after a UN-backed panel said it had clear evidence of fraud in August's first round, lowering Mr Karzai's vote share below 50%.

Mr Karzai told a news conference that he accepted the findings, adding they were a "step forward" for democracy.

Initial results suggested Mr Karzai, the incumbent, had received 55% of the vote, and ex-Foreign Minister Mr Abdullah 28%.

the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) ordered that ballots from 210 polling stations be discounted.

This meant Mr Karzai's total was reduced to below the 50% plus one vote threshold for outright victory, indicating a second round was needed.

Since the disputed first round of polling, there has been intensive Western lobbying of Afghanistan's leaders to resolve the weeks of political paralysis.

The White House - debating a request for 40,000 more US troops to be sent to Afghanistan - warned at the weekend no more soldiers would be deployed until a political resolution was reached.

Correspondents say it was therefore not surprising to see Mr Karzai give his reaction to the run-off, at a news conference alongside UN envoy Kai Eide and US Senator John Kerry.

"This is not the right time to discuss investigations, this is the time to move forward to stability and national unity," Mr Karzai said.

"I call upon our nation to change this into an opportunity to strengthen our resolve and determination, to move our country forward and to participate in the new round of elections."

Statesmanlike'

US President Barack Obama welcomed Mr Karzai's statement, describing it as an important and constructive step forward.

"It is now vital that all elements of Afghan society continue to come together to advance democracy, peace and justice," he added.

US officials later said that the president had not yet determined whether to make a decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan before the runoff.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown also welcomed President Hamid Karzai's "statesmanlike" acceptance of the run-off.

The Afghans are not making the mistake Iran did. In further news:

One-third of Iran's members of parliament have demanded that legal action be taken against opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Mr Mousavi has said the June election that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power was fraudulent.

MP Hamid Rasaie, an Ahmadinejad ally, said Mr Mousavi's claims had damaged the "reputation of the Islamic system".

State news agency Irna said 100 of the 290 members of the conservative-dominated parliament backed the call.

The demand for Mr Mousavi's prosecution comes a week after lawmakers launched a similar bid for legal action against Mr Ahmadinejad's other moderate challenger, former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi.

Both men allege that the presidential election was rigged, a charge denied by the Iranian authorities.

They have criticised the crackdown on protesters in the weeks of mass demonstrations that followed the disputed 12 June presidential poll.

At least 30 protesters were killed in clashes and thousands were arrested. Some 200 opposition activists remain behind bars. Three have been sentenced to death.

Also on Tuesday, an Iranian court sentenced an Iranian-American academic to 12 years in prison for his role in the protests.

As recently as Sunday, Mr Mousavi pledged to press ahead with efforts to reform the Islamic Republic.