CHICAGO - PRESIDENT-elect Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Thursday with the leaders of nine US allies to express thanks for their fulsome messages of congratulation, an aide said.

Mr Obama returned calls to the leaders of Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico and South Korea, according to Ms Stephanie Cutter, spokesman for the Democrat's transition office.

America's next leader was 'thanking them for having called to express congratulations on his election earlier this week', she said in a statement without elaborating.

Mr Obama has been inundated with foreign plaudits after triumphing over Republican John McCain to be elected the nation's first black president on Tuesday, with even US foes such as Iran and Cuba offering praise.

After the election, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed Mr Obama's 'energising' politics. 'This is a moment that will live in history as long as history books are written,' Mr Brown added.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, another of the leaders called by Mr Obama, wrote to the president-elect to say his 'brilliant victory rewards a tireless commitment to serve the American people'.

Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was certain US-Israeli ties would strengthen under Mr Obama's presidency, after Republicans had said the Democrat would endanger the Jewish state's security.

According to Ms Cutter, Mr Obama spoke also with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak. -- AFP