Hamid Karzai has taken over as President of Afghanistan for the second term with a vow to rid the country of terrorism. He was administered the oath of office by the head of Supreme Court Abdul Salam Azmi at a grand ceremony at the Presidential Palace in the presence of 800 guests, including External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari. In his first public address on taking over as President for the second term yesterday, Mr Karzai pledged to get rid of the corruption and reached out to his political rivals offering to form a government of national unity. The 51-year-old Afghan leader appreciated India's aid of 1.3 billion US Dollars for his country's reconstruction and said he would make efforts to expand and strengthen ties with neighbours based on mutual respect and genuine friendship. With the country facing intense resurgence by Taliban, Mr Karzai said, he will utilise all national and international resources to put an end to war and fratricide. Karzai was declared re-elected to the Presidency on the 2nd of this month by the country's independent Election Commission after Abdullah withdrew from the run-off, which was ordered following a UN-backed commission's findings that nearly a third of the votes cast on August 20 were fraudulent.Western leaders have urged Hamid Karzai to deliver tangible improvements in Afghans' lives after he was sworn in for a second presidential term. In his inauguration speech, Mr Karzai said he would tackle corruption and build security forces capable of taking over from foreign troops in five years. He also pledged to implement social, judicial and administrative reforms. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised his "positive, comprehensive" remarks but said results were needed. And Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said progress towards "a capable and inclusive administration" was vital both for Afghans and for nations with troops in the country. Dignitaries from about 40 countries flew in to Kabul to attend the ceremony, which was held amid extremely tight security.