Updated

President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have decried the Koran burning by a Florida minister last month and condemned the riot that ensued and left seven U.N. workers dead in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

In a teleconference Wednesday, the two leaders said the attack was an affront to human decency and dignity.

During the one one-hour call, Obama also welcomed Karzai's announcement last month that his nation's security forces would begin taking over from the U.S.-led coalition in seven parts of the country. Such Afghan lead is a first step toward his goal of having Afghan police and soldiers in charge by the end of 2014 so foreign combat troops can go home.