Posted on 11/03/2004 6:54:21 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
PARIS Nov 3, 2004 — As President Bush edged close to an election victory against Sen. John Kerry, France, Germany and other European countries he alienated during his first four years promised Wednesday to work with the new U.S. administration.
Some European leaders expressed hope that Bush would reach out to the continent in his second term. But others gloomily forecast no major tack in White House policy and continued trans-Atlantic bickering.
Markets reacted with relief to the end of the long, contentious race and the likelihood of a Bush win. Stock markets rallied across Europe and Asia, oil prices surged and the U.S. dollar was modestly higher Wednesday.
"We have lots to do on current crises: Iraq, the Middle East, Iran, the challenges of the African continent, to rebuild, to renovate the trans-Atlantic relationship," French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said on RTL radio. "This is a new step that starts at a very important moment for the world."
With the vote in Ohio still too close to call, European leaders were holding back from openly congratulating a winner. But they said they would work with the new White House even as it appeared that Bush would win a second term.
In Germany, another staunch opponent of the Iraq war, Interior Minister Otto Schily said the United States would continue to be "a very important partner, if not the most important one."
"We had differences over Iraq, but we're not looking back now we're looking to the future," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Bush as a "predictable partner" and said that if his slim lead in the U.S. election is confirmed, it would mean the American people had not given in to the threats of international terrorists.
"If Bush wins, I would feel happy that the American people have not allowed themselves to be scared and made the decision they considered reasonable," Putin said at a Kremlin news conference following talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Putin said U.S.-Russian relations have improved under Bush's presidency "for the benefit of our peoples and global security."
Bush has shown himself to be a "tough politician, a man with strong character … and a predictable partner," Putin said.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, another U.S. ally in Iraq, and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra both said their nations would have good relations with the United States no matter who wins.
Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said his country will remain a friend of the United States no matter the election outcome.
"The United States have freed us from a dictator, from a very long period of wars and agony," Allawi told the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica in an interview published Wednesday.
"We will always be grateful to America for what it has done and what it continues to do."
Australia's conservative government was one of Bush's staunchest allies and among the first to join the U.S.-led military coalition.
"From our point of view, the Bush administration is a known quantity," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We've had a very good relationship with them for the last four years and I'm sure we'll be able to keep building on that over the next four."
But not all countries supported a second Bush administration. In Indonesia, Muslim leader Syafii Maarif said a Bush win was "a catastrophe."
"Bush has made a mess of the world over the last four years," he said.
Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson predicted that Bush would not revamp his policies, and the sniping between Europe and the United States would continue.
"This means that we could have a very dramatic situation ahead of us, not least in Iraq," said Persson, who opposed the Iraq war.
"Sweden and Europe will continue to criticize Bush the same way as earlier. But I do not believe that he will be more willing to listen to it."
Finland Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country also opposed the war, said a growing number of international issues will require trans-Atlantic and global cooperation.
"General stability, terrorism, environmental issues, energy, social development and similar issues will come increasingly to the fore and to solve them we need good companionship between Europe and the United States," Vanhanen said.
Ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who is in Paris receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed illness, felt well enough to ask about the election, Palestinian officials said. But Leila Shahid, the Palestinian envoy to France, told LCI television station it was "going too far" to say Arafat was closely following the U.S. race.
"He looks at newspaper headlines, he asks for information," she said. "We are trying to spare him. He has no television in his room because he is too taken up with the exams he is undergoing."
The Bush administration supports the creation of a Palestinian state as part of the "road map" peace plan.
Note to WH: Indonesia off the invite list for anything.
Yeah, well Bush wouldn't mind a more amenable Europe.
Europe can stick it where the sun don't shine. The most powerful country in the world has spoken. Deal with it.
Note to Old Europe: Hold your breath :)
And against those all-so-superior Europeans. Who incidentally have their hands on some of Saddam's money.
I guess our Euro (as well as other UN) "friends" are feeling pretty despondent now. Most of America is "against" them, after all. We don't kow-tow to their interests.
Somebody needs to tell Ararat real quick.
"It's all the poor man can do to kick a small Jewish child to death every morning, as usual! Leave him be, you infidel media jackals!"
I guess the U.N. food for oil scandal won't be swept under the rug.
Storyline from Paris. The coalition of the bribed can collectively blow me!
The more "amenable" Bush???
A-men. A-men.
That's the smartest thing any European leftist has said in more than a century.
Me, too! I hope Bush gets even tougher with the eurotrash and pulls our troops out of Germany. You are either for us or against us!
Europe is in a snit because the USA will on longer be the pig that provides their pork!
Ohhh,,poooh-poooh.
Boycott France!!!
Ohh!! Can I inform Arafat? ;-)
Europe, guess what? G.W. is baccccccccccck for four more years! hehe
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