Afghan President-elect seeks favour in Washington

Washington: Afghan President-elect Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai began spending tens of thousands of dollars on lobbyists in the United States months ago.

Ghani Ahmadzai's campaign has hired three different Washington public relations and lobbying firms since May. Required Justice Department filings say that, at times, his campaign has spent USD 180,000 a month to reach out to media, members of Congress and Obama administration officials.

On Sunday, Ghani Ahmadzai was declared the winner of the election, which was mired in allegations of fraud. He succeeds President Hamid Karzai.

Unlike Karzai, Ghani Ahmadzai says he'll sign a security agreement with the US, setting the parameters for 9,800 US troops to stay in Afghanistan after 2014.