Mixed international reaction for George the second

Political allies welcomed the inauguration of President George Bush to a second term today, while critics expressed hope that he would use it as a turning point by acknowledging mistakes in Iraq and mending damage done by the war.

Staunch US ally Japan expressed high hopes for Bush’s next four years in office, saying the experience gained in his first term would contribute to Bush’s leadership of the world’s most powerful nation.

“President Bush has built up enough experience … in the past four years, so I expect he will continue to actively contribute to world peace and stability under international co-ordination,” Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who supported US-led military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, where some 9,000 British are stationed, said there has been an evolution in Bush’s foreign policy.

“Evolution comes from experience,” Mr Blair said, adding that he hoped for “an international agenda that is more consensual, more multilateral than what has gone before”.

In Pakistan, chief government spokesman Sheikh Rashid Ahmed hailed Bush as one of Pakistan’s “best friends” and pledged Islamabad’s continuing support of the US-led war on terror.

Not everyone, however, glowed at the prospect of another four years of Bush.

About 150 people protested at the inauguration in front of the US Embassy in Tokyo, sparking a minor scuffle with police when they tried to present a petition against US policy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Germany, whose government steadfastly opposed the Iraqi war and refused to join forces with Washington in the reconstruction, the De Standaard newspaper said it was time for Bush to turn a new leaf.

In an editorial, the newspaper said Bush has yet to give ”that one unmistakable signal that he really wants to start anew: recognise that he made errors in Iraq”.

“The world can only hope that, quietly, he has learned some lessons from the Iraqi debacle. And that he will apply them in his handling of Iran,” it said.

Liaqat Baluch, an MP from a hard-line Islamic coalition in Pakistan, said Bush had alienated Muslims during his first term, but hoped he would now work for peace.

“His first term brought unrest and instability to the world,” said Baluch, a member of the opposition Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal or United Action Forum, which strongly opposed the US-led war on terror.

“Let’s hope that he will correct his policies,” especially those perceived as anti-Muslim, Baluch said.

Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natelegawa said the recent tsunami disaster which devastated his country could mark a fresh start for the United States.

“In recent weeks we have seem the humanitarian side of US foreign policy in Aceh. This is something we would like to see more of,” Natelegawa said.

While the European Commission publicly welcomed Bush’s re-election, it also wants Washington to be more active on issues including an Israel- Palestinian peace deal, and to embrace the Kyoto treaty on global warming which it abandoned four years ago.

“There are renewals on both sides of the Atlantic and much scope for the United States and the EU to work together as a force for good in the world,” said European External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

Elsewhere, Russian analysts voiced hope for a thaw in the recent chill in US-Russia relations amid tensions over elections in the Ukraine and their ongoing jockeying for influence in former Soviet nations.

“Setting rules of the game in the ex-Soviet nations will be the central issue in our relations with the United States,” said Alexander Tsipko, an independent political analyst.