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Sampling Of Reaction To U.S. Vote Shows Cautious Optimism

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  • Sampling Of Reaction To U.S. Vote Shows Cautious Optimism

    Radio Free Europe, Czechia
    Nov. 3, 2004

    World: Sampling Of Reaction To U.S. Vote Shows Cautious Optimism
    By Don Hill


    In opinion polls before the 2 November vote in the United States,
    citizens of countries from Canada to South Korea -- with the notable
    exceptions of Russia and Israel -- declared an overwhelming preference
    for Democratic Senator John Kerry to win the U.S. presidential election
    over Republican incumbent George W. Bush. But as the time neared for
    declaring an actual winner, international figures and people on the
    streets displayed a cautious optimism. RFE/RL collects a sampling of
    various opinions from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and around the
    world.


    Prague, 3 November 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Tajik parliamentarian Olim
    Salomzoda said that whoever won yesterday's U.S. vote is far less
    important to Tajikistan than whether U.S. policy in his region is
    consistent and respects democratic norms. Salomzoda spoke to RFE/RL in
    Dushanbe today.

    "It is up to the American voters who to choose, but what is important
    to us is that [U.S.] foreign policy in our region, in Central Asia,
    should stay the same. But if changes occur, they should be proper to
    democratic processes. We want to have peace both in Afghanistan and
    Iraq," Salomzoda said. The result of yesterday's U.S. presidential vote
    remained in limbo midday today over a balloting dispute in the state of
    Ohio. It wasn't clear when a winner would be named.

    Kazakh parliamentarian Amalbeck Tshanov told RFE/RL in Astana that
    responsibility for U.S.-Kazakh relations depends primarily on the
    Kazakhs themselves, regardless of who presides over the U.S.
    government.

    "How Kazakh-U.S. relations develop depends on us. If our so-called
    democratic reforms become really democratic, there will be positive
    changes. If our pseudo-democratic changes remain just cosmetic efforts,
    if a de facto single party continues to dominate, [the U.S. leadership]
    will have to alter its attitude [toward Kazakhstan] negatively,"
    Tshanov said.

    The result of yesterday's U.S. presidential vote remained in limbo
    midday today over a balloting dispute in the state of Ohio. It wasn't
    clear when a winner would be named.

    In Moscow, Editor in Chief Fedor Lukyanov of the Russian quarterly
    journal, "Russia in Global Policy," said Russian leaders preferred Bush
    because they feared that a president from the U.S. Democratic Party
    would revive Cold War-style confrontation.

    "Moscow is very concerned that if a Democratic administration comes to
    power, this could bring about a return, to a certain degree, to [former
    U.S. President Bill] Clinton's policies of the U.S. administration's
    active involvement in Russia's internal politics, and this is
    definitely not what Moscow wants now," Lukyanov said.

    The chairman of the Armenian opposition National Accord Party, Artashes
    Geghamian, spoke to RFE/RL in Yerevan. "Winning the election, George W.
    Bush will pursue one real goal, and that is to ensure his name in the
    history books, in positive terms," Geghamian said. "So I think U.S.
    policy will become much more tolerant and cooperative than before."

    In Georgia, Maya Nadiradze, majority leader in parliament, told RFE/RL:
    "After coming to power, [any] new administration will start
    establishing new relationships. That includes introducing a new policy
    toward our neighbor Russia, too. All the above will either slow or
    delay certain processes, even change directions."

    In recent months, France has emerged as an expected source of
    dissatisfaction with the United States. Speaking to the Reuters news
    agency today, a man identified only as Xavier did not disappoint: "I
    think it is a pity for the world because it means the continuation of
    American hegemony. I think in Europe, in old Europe, everyone hoped
    that Kerry would win."

    But in Kyrgyzstan, the deputy speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the
    lower house of parliament, Kubatbek Baibolov, was strongly supportive
    of Bush. "I think it will be better for us if Bush wins. First of all,
    his policies are known better. Secondly, if the U.S. continues its
    fight against terrorism at such a pace and in such a way, then we will
    also benefit from this policy," he told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service.
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