Blair praises Bush, urges unity
 |  Blair, left, urged renewed action to bring peace to the Middle East. |
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 Christiane Amanpour gauges the reaction of countries in Europe and the Middle East to the result.
 The French are wary of a second Bush term but looking for areas of compromise
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(CNN) -- Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair has offered congratulations to U.S. President George W. Bush on his re-election Wednesday, saying the United States and Europe must rebuild their alliance and urging renewed action towards settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Europe and America must build anew our alliance," Blair said. "All of us in positions of leadership, not just President Bush, have a responsibility to rise to this challenge. It's urgent that we do so."
He called on the allies to continue the war on terrorism not only by military means, but also by demonstrating "the strength of our common values" by fostering democracy and resolving long-festering conflicts that fuel terrorist recruitment.
"In particular, I have long argued that the need to revitalize the Middle East peace process is the single most pressing political challenge in our world today," he said.
"Therefore, we must be relentless in our war against terrorism and in resolving the conditions and causes on which the terrorists prey." (Bush win: Boon or bane for Blair?)
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder congratulated President Bush on his re-election Wednesday with a telegram offering continued cooperation in the war on terrorism.
"At the beginning of your second term, the world stands before great challenges: international terrorism, the danger of the spread of weapons of mass destruction, regional crises, but also poverty, climate change and epidemics threaten our security and stability," Schroeder wrote.
"These challenges can only be mastered together. With great expectation, I see our continued cooperation on the basis of the close friendship between Germany and the United States."
Schroeder's outspoken criticism of the Bush administration's push for war with Iraq during his 2002 re-election bid strained relations between the two leaders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Bush victory meant Americans had not allowed themselves to be cowed by terrorists.
"If Bush wins... I can only feel joy that the American people did not allow itself to be intimidated, and made the most sensible decision," Putin said at a Kremlin news conference after talks with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
He was speaking before Democratic challenger John Kerry conceded victory to Bush in Tuesday's vote.
Ex-KGB agent Putin and former oilman Bush have forged a close relationship that Russian opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq has not derailed and have been united in the struggle to derail Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda movement.
"I am convinced that international terrorism gave itself the goal of not allowing the re-election of Bush. The statement by bin Laden in the final stages of the pre-election campaign is the best confirmation of this," Putin said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao congratulated Bush and said he was looking forward to further developing a constructive relationship.
"Since Bush assumed the presidency, China and the United States have made significant progress in cooperation in various fields, bringing substantial benefits to both countries and playing a positive role in promoting peace and development in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world," Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying.
"Both China and the United States are great countries and share a wide range of common interests and basis for cooperation," Hu said.
Hu and Bush are scheduled to meet this month in Chile at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The official organ of Cuba's ruling Communist Party dismissed President Bush's re-election Wednesday, saying it demonstrates "the influence of the lies of the Bush government."
The statement, published on page five of the eight-page newspaper Granma, was titled "Whoever wins."
"Whether it's Bush or Kerry, it's the power money that will govern in the United States in the next four years," Granma stated.
Bush's win "demonstrates the influence of the lies of the Bush government, put forward by the constant power of the media before the American people," the newspaper added.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that "Bush will keep up that policy that gives the United States the role of promoting freedom in the world."
He added that Bush's victory would help maintain close ties between the United States and Italy.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard --a staunch Iraq war ally -- phoned President Bush Thursday morning local time to congratulate him on his election win.
"I congratulate President Bush on a quite remarkable win. It was strong and emphatic not only through the popular vote but also the victories he's had in the House of Representatives and the Senate," Howard told media.
"This was a strong reaffirmation of his leadership of the United States in its fight against world terrorism. It's a victory for the anti-terrorism cause," he said.
"It's a signal to the rest of the world that it must redouble its efforts to unite, to combat the threat that terrorism represents to all of us because of the values that we hold and the attitude to life that we take."
French President Jacques Chirac, one of the highest-profile opponents of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, congratulated Bush on his re-election and expressed hope that their countries can work together on the international scene.
In a letter, Chirac expressed the "wish" that Bush's victory will "be the chance to reinforce the French-American friendship" and help solve global crises.
"We will be unable to find satisfying responses to the numerous challenges that confront us today without a close trans-Atlantic partnership," wrote Chirac in the letter, addressed to "Dear George."
"France and the United States have been called upon to play an essential role," Chirac wrote, adding that he shared a "very cordial friendship" with Bush.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero who pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq following the Madrid bombings looked forward to mending fences.
"I would like to express the desire of the Spanish government to contribute to a relationship based on efficient and constructive cooperation with the government of the United States, with President (George W.) Bush."
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would have had a good relationship with either of the two contenders.
"Now that Mr Bush is elected, we are very happy and we congratulate the American people for their choice."
South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun sent a personal message of congratulations to President Bush for winning a second four-year term, a spokesman said.
"President Roh expressed satisfaction over the past two years of South Korean-U.S. ties and expected both states to keep working together for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the world," the spokesman said in a stement released to media.
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, whose country also backed the war, said "further cooperation with George W. Bush is good news" that would mean the continuation of strong cooperation on international issues such as the fight against terrorism.
Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen appealed for "a fresh start for the trans-Atlantic partnership" but held firm with Bush on Iraq. Denmark has 501 troops in the southern Iraqi port city of Basra.
"We will stay there as long as needed so the Iraqis can be helped to become masters in their own homes," he said.
Sweden's Prime Minister Goeran Persson said the close vote "was not unexpected.... But it was a divided nation that went to the polls."
"It is an incumbent president in a situation where a great part of the nation experiences that it is in war with terrorism," Persson said. "The economy is moving in the right direction. These two issues together should have given Bush a clear victory. Despite this, it was very narrow. This shows that the U.S. is divided."
A spokesman for United Nations General-Secretary Kofi Annan said the head of the international body was "committed" to working with the next Bush Administration "on a whole range of issues facing the United Nations and the world".
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said "the basic recognition about the importance of the Japan-U.S. friendship and the Japan-U.S. alliance will not change."
Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said President Pervez Musharraf and Bush enjoyed a close personal rapport and "personal contacts play a very important role in decision-making in today's world of politics".
"We expect (President) Bush's new term in office will augur well for the Kashmir and Palestine disputes and for Pakistan's progress and prosperity," Ahmed said.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
