Obama calls world leaders who hailed his re-election

U.S. President Barack Obama makes Veterans Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, November 11, 2012.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spoke with world leaders on Tuesday, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, thanking them for sending congratulations on his re-election, the White House said.

"In each call he thanked his counterparts for their friendship and partnership thus far and expressed his desire to continue close cooperation moving ahead," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Tuesday.

Obama, who won a second, four-year term with a decisive victory after a tight race against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, also spoke with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain.

The president responded to some of the messages personally by phone, the White House said.

King Abdullah II of Jordan and Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, also congratulated the Democrat on his win, the White House said.

(Reporting By Margaret Chadbourn; editing by Philip Barbara)