Hungary/PolandPresident Bush's re-election drew a mixed response from New Europe yesterday, with Poland's leader hailing the victory while Hungary dampened Republican celebrations by announcing the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq.
"Regarding Poland's interests, further co-operation with George W. Bush is good news," said President Alexander Kwasniewski, becoming one of the first heads of state to express a preference for the White House incumbent.
"He knows and respects Poland; he has been here," Mr Kwasniewski said. "We are dealing with a predictable, experienced president . . . this is what I esteem highly in Bush." Poland has about 2,500 soldiers on Iraq and commands a multinational force of thousands more, despite widespread public opposition to the deployment.
Mr Kwasniewski criticised Mr Kerry for complaining that Mr Bush failed to form a truly international coalition in Iraq, and was not swayed by his pledge in a Polish newspaper last week, to boost ties with Warsaw and grant it lucrative contracts in Iraq if he won. Yesterday, Mr Kwasniewski urged Mr Bush to address such questions now.
"I hope it will mean slightly greater activity in bilateral issues, where there has been no sufficient engagement," he said. "I am chiefly thinking of economic issues, of US investment, of military co-operation, of co-operation in modernising Poland's army."
While most other leaders in the old Soviet bloc held fire until an official result, Hungary used the post-vote furore to release news that Washington would not want to hear.
"On March 31st, Hungarian troops will come back from Iraq," said government spokeswoman Ms Boglar Laszlo. "This is the proposal the government will put forward to parliament." Officials said Hungarian soldiers would help bolster security for Iraq's elections in January before pulling out, further depleting the embattled coalition.
While central Europe's leaders pondered the implications of Mr Bush's victory, one village in the Czech Republic was lamenting the defeat of one of its own. "I have been supporting Kerry ever since I discovered about nine months ago that his ancestors once lived next door," said Ms Jarmila Sindlerova in Horni Benesov, where Mr Kerry's grandfather was born. "It's very bad news that he hasn't beaten Bush."