World reaction to Bush victory mixed.

Byline: Tom Hundley

LONDON _ In Europe and across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, President Bush's election victory produced two vastly different reactions: Some welcomed it while others expressed a sense of gloom and resignation.

In France, perhaps the epicenter of European hostility to Bush, a feeling of despair was almost palpable.

"This is not going to make the relationship on the two sides of the Atlantic any easier," said Guillaume Parmentier, director of the French Center on the United States.

"After the 2000 election, there was a feeling in Europe that, OK, he is a minority president, elected by one vote on the Supreme Court. Now that he is re-elected by a majority, Europeans will think, well, the Americans really want this guy," he said.

"Four years ago, people could believe that Bush was a compassionate conservative, that he wanted a humble foreign policy. It's hard to believe that now."

But soon after John Kerry conceded defeat, many Europeans turned their attention to the nuts and bolts of dealing with four more years of a Bush administration.