Washington  - US president-elect Barack Obama on Monday returned telephone calls to foreign leaders who had called after the November 4 elections to congratulate him for his victory.

Obama spoke with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Turkish President Abdullah Gul, his transition team said.

Since the election, Obama has contacted more than a dozen leaders to thank them for congratulatory phone calls.

Vice president-elect Joe Biden on Monday spoke with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Saakashvili, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. No details were provided about the topics of Biden's conversations.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Obama representatives as she prepares to hand the State Department over to the new administration on January 20. (dpa)