US presidential candidates underlined US-Pakistan relations on Monday after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama and his Republican rival, John McCain, issued statements, respectively, welcoming Musharraf' s resignation and expressing wish for the country's political stability.

"President Musharraf has made the right decision to step down as President of Pakistan," Obama said in the statement. "It is in the interests of his country and the Pakistani people to end the political crisis that has immobilized the coalition government for too long."

He stressed that the new Pakistani government must continue the crackdown against al-Qaida and the Taliban militants, and then " there can be no safe haven for terrorists who threaten the American people."

For his part, McCain said that Musharraf's resignation "is a step toward moving Pakistan onto a more stable political footing."

He recognized the country as a "critical theater in countering the threat of al-Qaida and violent Islamic extremism," and said that he looks forward to increasing cooperation between the two countries in the anti-terror war.

"It is critical that the United States continue to work in partnership with the Pakistan people and their democratically elected government to tackle the many challenges we both face."

The two senators issued the statements hours after Musharraf, ruling the country for nine years, quit.

The White House said earlier the day that the US government " looks forward to working with the government of Pakistan on the economic, political and security challenges they face."

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2008)