A divided world reacts to US election

1.00pm - By Independent staff writers



MIDDLE EAST - Israel reacted with evident contentment to the prospect of a second Bush term while stressing the notable lack of difference between the stated stances of the two presidential candidates over the conflict with the Palestinians.

The diplomatic response came as officials moved to play down the conclusions of a leaked pre-election Foreign Ministry report suggesting that for different reasons both President Bush and Senator Kerry would step up pressure on Israel to pave the way for peace negotiations in the election.

A senior official questioned the view that as a second-term President without electoral worries, Mr Bush was more likely to set tighter limits on the US's support for Israel, and welcomed the "continuity" afforded by George W Bush's re-election.

Among most Palestinians who expressed a view, Senator Kerry had been the preferred choice because of what they saw as President Bush's unequivocal support for Israel and because of the war in Iraq. But the majority among members of the Palestinian public questioned yesterday in the West Bank professed indifference to the outcome.

The leaked Israeli report had implied that Mr Bush would moderate his support for Israel and press for a resumption of the peace process - partly to restore the US's image in the Arab world.

- Donald Macintyre

EUROPE - The European Commission President, Romano Prodi, coupled his good wishes with a call to respect multilateral principles, a less than subtle reference to accusations of American unilateralism.

Mr Prodi said: "Europe will continue to work to strengthen its bonds of friendship and co-operation with the United States. Those bonds, which have never been called into question, are vital to maintaining peace in the world on the basis of multilaterally shared principles and values."

Paris and Berlin are waiting to see if Mr Bush makes any overtures to try to improve relations. Privately some diplomats said that the re-election of President Bush will reduce pressure on France and Germany, which opposed the war in Iraq, to increase their help there. Had John Kerry won, Paris and Berlin would have felt a greater obligation to increase their commitments and, in the long run, even send troops. By coincidence, Hungary announced yesterday that it would pull its 300 troops out of Iraq by March next year.

Meanwhile Daniel Cohn-Bendit, leader of the Greens in the European Parliament, argued: "in the next four years the role of the European Union as a counterweight to the US will become ever more important. Only a strong, united Union that is able to act decisively when needed, will be capable of fulfilling this task."

- Stephen Castle


ITALY - Silvio Berlusconi, visiting President Putin in Moscow, was the first European leader out of the traps to hail President Bush's victory yesterday, hours before John Kerry conceded defeat. Looking ahead to Italian elections that are only a year and a half away, he concluded that Bush's success was thanks to the tax cuts he has pushed through, among other factors - Berlusconi has been nagging his coalition allies to agree on Italian tax cuts for months now.

As one of Bush's most reliable allies, Berlusconi's glee was no surprise; neither was the dismay on the left. Fausto Bertinotti, leader of the Rifondazione Comunista, said a Bush victory was "a dramatic moment: the victory of the war party, a difficult moment for the human race."

Another leftwinger, Giovanna Melandri, drew crumbs of comfort from the narrowness of Kerry's defeat, because "Bush has failed...he has not capitalised on the consensus he enjoyed." Yet another, Luciano Violante, opined that the winner, given the tightness of the contest, "must take account of the opinions of the other" - overlooking Bush's blithe disregard for such a principle over the past four years.

- Peter Popham

FRANCE - In France, the results of the presidential election are seen as final confirmation that America is indeed no longer the country that Europeans wish it was.

Many also view the outcome as a call to action in the cause of a stronger EU to counterbalance an increasingly headstrong superpower.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier saluted American democracy and said that the US presidential election marks a new step in trans-Atlantic ties. Elsewhere, much was made of the fact that this time -- unlike in 2000 -- the popular majority was unquestionably on the side of George W. Bush.

"Many observers believe America's political choices were a result of President Bush. What we see today is that these choices are in fact supported by a majority of Americans," said Francois Bayrou of the centrist Union for French Democracy (UDF) which is part of Chirac's coalition.

"What that means is that there is great mutual incomprehension between the two sides of the Atlantic...and that to face a more determined America, we need a strong Europe," he said.

Among pro-Americans, Herve Mariton of Chirac's Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) said: "It is good news not just for the US but also for France and the world because American leadership is now reaffirmed and determined, and should be more enlightened than it has been."

- Hugh Schofield

AFGHANISTAN - The US election was eclipsed in importance in Kabul yesterday by the confirmation of victory for Afghanistan's first elected president, the Bush favourite Hamid Karzai.

But a lively debate was waged in the city's political salons over which American candidate would be best for Afghanistan. Some had felt that a Bush defeat might have meant a pullout of US troops, dreaded because of fears warlords would then fight among themselves again, while others believed a President Kerry would have reinvigorated the fight against al Qaeda in the region.

One Taleban supporter grimly remarked "A black dog is no better for Afghanistan than a grey wolf; both want to fight over our bones."

Government official Mohammed Qaseem, meanwhile, said: "Kerry would have been good for Afghanistan; he would have kept the focus on this country. Bush is only interested in Iraq."

- Nick Meo

IRAQ - The Iraqi people, whose country has played a crucial part in this election, greeted George Bush's re-election in a muted and somewhat resigned manner. Most were too busy coping with the deadly daily diet of car bombings and mortar and gun attacks and the state of near anarchy following the invasion Bush ordered. Some saw conflict without end.

Asked how he viewed the prospect of Mr Bush getting four more years, Selim Abbas Ahmed, a 39-year-old engineer, responded "Don't you mean four more wars?"

Mohammed Al-Razzak, opening his shop in the Baghdad suburb of Karada, said "Our problems began with the war Bush gave us. We have lost our security, our peace of mind. If Kerry had won, maybe we could have had peace. But now we shall have more and more violence".

But others felt relief. Karim Abdul Younis, a doctor, dismissed the complaints. "The only reason they can even talk like this so openly is because Saddam was removed. As a doctor I was earning just $30 a month under the regime, now I get $200". Sabira Latif, a teacher, had opposed the war, but now also agreed that an early withdrawal of US forces would be highly damaging.

"The extremists will take over", she said. " The Americans shouldn't have come. But now they are here, they should stay. Bush would be better than Kerry for this thing."

Sheikh Khalid al-Jumaili, the chief negotiator representing the people of Fallujah in talks with Iraq's interim government, said "If there is the slightest possibility of a change of policy in Iraq, it would have been with Kerry ".

Meanwhile, Iyad Allawi, Iraqi Prime Minister, told Italian daily La Repubblica: "The United States liberated us from a dictator from a very long period of war and agony. We will always be grateful to America for what it has done and continues to do".

- Kim Sengupta

GERMANY

Several German politicians reflected widespread popular dismay at the Bush victory yesterday. Michael Muller, the deputy parliamentary leader of Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's ruling Social Democrats described President Bush as a "fundamentalist" and added "If he wins it will be neither good for the world, nor for democratic America."

The Greens agreed, with Hans-Christian Stroble, the deputy parliamentary leader of Mr Schroder's Green coalition partners saying: "A Bush victory would make my worst dreams come true. It would be a belated justification for the Iraq war from American voters and that would be a black day for peace".

However, Karsten Voigt, the German government's chief coordinator for German-American relations appealed to Mr Bush to review his stance towards Europe: "I hope he will develop an initiative on Europe that will lead to a new common approach. He would find open doors and open minds in Berlin if he did this," he said.

Joschka Fischer, Germany's Green Foreign Minister said Germany was nevertheless committed to working closely with the Bush administration in future.

- Tony Paterson

UNITED KINGDOM - Blair allies insisted the result provided an "opportunity" for the British Prime Minister to use his position as the President's closest overseas ally to secure America's support for a new push on the Middle East peace process. He is expected to visit Washington shortly.

But Labour MPs expressed fears that Mr Blair would receive no "payback" and warned that President Bush might be more willing to act unilaterally against countries such as Iran after winning a new mandate.

British ministers issued a "business as usual" message, saying the US result had at least brought certainty. They urged President Bush to "re-engage" with countries such as France and Germany to heal the wounds left by the Iraq conflict and hope that European Union leaders will respond positively at a two-day summit in Brussels starting today .

Privately, Mr Blair would have preferred a John Kerry victory, which could have provided a fresh start on the international agenda and helped him to end the damaging rift with his party -- and many voters -- over Iraq.

Blair told parliament that peace in the Middle East was key to defeating terrorism and the world must work with Bush to achieve it.

"The need to revitalise the Middle East peace process is the single most pressing political challenge in our world today," Blair told reporters later.

- Andrew Grice, Colin Brown and Reuters


- INDEPENDENT