KABUL - President Hamid Karzai will maintain his political influence even after his replacement in the wake of the elections, an American diplomat said on Tuesday.

US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan James Dobbins said: "He will be an influential figure after the elections and I don´t think that´s necessarily a bad thing.” 

According to the news agency AFP, Dobbins hoped the new president would respect Karzai. "We believe he views a peaceful transfer as a part of his legacy."

Speaking to journalists in Tokyo, he said the US was "still considering" the details of its withdrawal plan. A decision on the exact size of the residual US force after next year’s pullout would be taken in the next month or two, he added.

"We and our allies, I think, will be prepared for a continuing advisory mission, much smaller numbers than we have there today but still significant in terms of its ability to continue to improve the quality of the Afghan security forces."  (Pajhwok)