US president Barack Obama and Afghan president Hamid Karzai have both released statements deploring a Koran-burning incident in the US.
The burning has sparked an explosion of violence in Afghanistan.
In an hour-long video conference on Wednseday, the two presidents discussed the violence that had been brought about after a pastor at an obscure US church put fire to the Koran.
The White House later said: “Both leaders deplored the desecration of the Koran and expressed deep regret for the tragic loss of life.”
A statement from Mr Karzai’s office in Kabul said the presidents discussed the desecration of the Koran by the American pastor and “the subsequent unpleasant incidents that followed in Afghanistan.”