World leaders take stock of Bush victory<\/p>\n
Agencies,
\nParis\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
World leaders took stock on Thursday of what four more years of
\nGeorge W. Bush in the White House will bring, with many hoping
\nthe president will vigorously pursue the war on terror and boost
\nthe Middle East peace process.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government congratulated on Thursday Bush over
\nhis reelection and expected to build a stronger relationship with
\nthe world's only superpower country.<\/p>\n
\"The government of Indonesia congratulates President George W.
\nBush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney on their re-election
\nand wish them success in their second term in dealing with the
\nvarious challenges facing both the United States and the world,\"
\nthe Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
European leaders, gathering in Brussels, put on a brave face
\nbut the U.S. leader's victory leaves Europe as divided as ever
\nover the Iraq war and hoping that the second Bush term will prove
\nless rocky than the first.<\/p>\n
French President Jacques Chirac, who spearheaded the anti-war
\nbloc and whose personal relations with Bush remain chilly, said
\nhe hoped France and the United States could seize the
\n\"opportunity to reinforce the Franco-American friendship.\"<\/p>\n
But in a sign of the continuing strains notably over Iraq, it
\nemerged on Thursday that Chirac will not attend a lunch with
\nIraqi interim prime minister Iyad Allawi in Brussels on Friday,
\nto be attended by all his EU counterparts.<\/p>\n
Britain's Tony Blair, Bush's chief European ally in Iraq,
\nunderlined in congratulating Bush that it was \"urgent\" to renew
\nfrayed transatlantic ties.<\/p>\n
\"Europe and America must build anew their alliance. All of us
\nin positions of leadership -- not just President Bush -- have a
\nresponsibility to rise to this challenge,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The British leader also said he plans to pressure Washington
\nover the Middle East, calling peace in that region \"the single
\nmost pressing political challenge in our world.\"<\/p>\n
Several leaders including Blair and Russian President Vladimir
\nPutin said Bush's win represented a victory in the U.S.-led war
\non terror.<\/p>\n
\"We must be relentless in our war against terrorism, and in
\nresolving the conditions and causes on which the terrorists
\nprey,\" Blair said.<\/p>\n
In the Arab world, there was widespread dismay that four more
\nyears of Bush as leader of the world's only remaining superpower
\ncould fuel wider chaos and bloodshed in the Middle East, while
\nsome leaders said Bush should use his new mandate to help create
\na Palestinian state.<\/p>\n
The Palestinian leadership pledged to work with the new U.S.
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
Yasser Arafat, who is gravely ill in a hospital near Paris,
\nwelcomed Bush's victory and voiced the hope that his new mandate
\nwould give momentum to the Middle East peace process, according
\nto aides.<\/p>\n
Israel however glowed with satisfaction, confident of four
\nmore years of support from its best-ever friend in the White
\nHouse.<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: \"He has led the war
\nagainst terrorism, especially Palestinian terrorism, and he has
\nrefused any contacts with Arafat.<\/p>\n
\"All this reflects the fact that he is the most friendly
\npresident towards Israel that we have ever had.\"<\/p>\n
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hoped Bush would exert more
\neffort to bring about \"a just and comprehensive peace in the
\nMiddle East by establishing a Palestinian state alongside the
\nstate of Israel.\"<\/p>\n
He hoped Bush would continue fighting terrorism by \"dealing
\nactively with its root causes\".<\/p>\n
Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa also said he hoped the
\nadministration would show the \"concern needed to achieve
\nPresident Bush's vision for the creation of an active and
\nsustainable Palestinian state in 2005.\"<\/p>\n
In Africa, South African President Thabo Mbeki said he was
\nlooking forward to continue working with Bush to fight poverty
\nand underdevelopment in the world's poorest continent.<\/p>",
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