Kabul, Nov 4, SPA -- Hamid Karzai's chief rivals inAfghanistan's presidential election conceded defeatThursday, a day after the U.S-backed interim leader wasdeclared the winner. Yunus Qanooni, who finished second with 16 percentcompared to Karzai's 55 percent, said he would accept theresult of the Oct. 9 ballot. "For me, Afghanistan's national interests are the mostimportant," Qanooni said at a news conference. Ethnic Hazara chieftain Mohammed Mohaqeq and the runningmate of ethnic Uzbek strongman Abdul Rashid Dostum alsosaid they would recognize Karzai as president.--SPA1337 Local Time 1037 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/215373