British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Chinese President Hu Jintao and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan joined the world leaders in congratulating US President George W Bush on his re-election, emphasising the need to move forward on the Middle East peace process and pledging to work with him on issues facing the globe.
"Bush's re-election came at a critical time for a world that is fractured, divided and uncertain," Blair said in a statement here on Wednesday night.
There was a need now to move forward on poverty and the Middle East peace process and resolve conditions on which the terrorists prey, he said, minutes after Bush's Democratic rival John Kerry conceded defeat following a close contest.
In Beijing, President Hu, while congratulating Bush on winning a second term in the office, said in a message that "both China and the US are great countries and share a wide range of common interests and basis for cooperation."
However, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said "the smooth development of China-US relations requires that the US side properly handles Taiwan question."
Welcoming the re-election of Bush, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan pledged to work with him and his administration on issues facing the world body and the globe. In a statement, he also applauded Kerry on his "prompt and statesman-like" decision to accept the outcome.
{{/usCountry}}Welcoming the re-election of Bush, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan pledged to work with him and his administration on issues facing the world body and the globe. In a statement, he also applauded Kerry on his "prompt and statesman-like" decision to accept the outcome.
{{/usCountry}}French President Jacques Chirac, who was opposed to Iraq war, expressed hope that Bush's second term "will provide an opportunity to reinforce Franco-American friendship" and the trans-atlantic partnership.