World leaders congratulate Obama on re-election

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron talks to U.S. President Barack Obama on the telephone in his office at 10 Downing Street in London November 8, 2012. Cameron called Obama to congratulate him on his re-election on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spoke with world leaders including the Saudi King Abdullah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who had sent messages to congratulate the president on his re-election on Tuesday, the White House said.

"The president appreciates all of these messages and looks forward to continuing to work with all of his fellow leaders to address the serious challenges we face together in the world," the White House said on Thursday.

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

Obama, who won a second, four-year term with a decisive victory after a tight contest against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, also spoke with Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron, also spoke with the president, the White House said.

Among the leaders in the Western Hemisphere to congratulate the Democrat on his second term were Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Jackie Frank)