White House: Obama congratulates Egypt's Morsi

US President Barack Obama congratulated Egyptian President-elect Mohammed Morsi by phone on Sunday, and also called the Islamist's defeated rival, Ahmed Shafiq, to encourage him to stay active in Egyptian politics, the White House said.

"The president underscored that the United States will continue to support Egypt's transition to democracy and stand by the Egyptian people as they fulfill the promise of their revolution," the White House said in a statement about Obama's conversation with Morsi. (Reuters)