US president-elect Barack Obama Wednesday telephoned UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon plus the presidents of Colombia, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa, his office said.

Obama returned their calls `and expressed his appreciation for their congratulations on his election,` the Democrat`s transition office said in a statement, offering no further details.

Obama has been pursuing a near-daily round of calls to foreign leaders since his election triumph over Republican John McCain on November 4.

Apart from Ban, the latest calls were to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Nigerian President Umaru Yar`Adua, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and South African President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Uribe had been open in his support for McCain and now faces increased scrutiny over human rights abuses in his nation from Obama, who opposes a US-Colombia trade pact currently frozen in the Democratic-led Congress.