A new deal

Those who questioned the world bearing of the election of the President of the United States, on November 4th were proved wrong. President-elect Barack Obama, the first White-House bound “Afro-American” (according to his self-definition), was congratulated from all corners of the world.A new deal for a new world. “We need a new deal for a new world”. I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the US will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal – for the befit of our societies, for the benefit of the world”. José Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, was among the first to congratulate Barack Obama on his victory. “I want to assure senator Obama of the support of the European Commission and of my personal support in forging this renewed commitment to face together the many challenges ahead of us”, he said. Also Euro-Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering, mentioned the “difficult moment” along with the “major challenges” awaiting the US of Obama. He said that the election result “has proved once again the extraordinary capacity for renewal which has so often been evident at difficult moments in American history”. Poettering invited newly-elected US president Obama to address the European Parliament upon his visit to Europe for the NATO summit (April 2009).Transatlantic partnership. French President and EU Council President-in-Office Nicolas Sarkozy extended his “warmest congratulations” to Barack Obama. “More than ever, Europe has followed avidly the US election campaign: firstly because American democracy brings great ideas and ambition and generates great debates; above all because Europe needs an America fully engaged in dialogue and cooperation”. The European Union, Sarkozy declared, “sees in this election the promise of a reinforced transatlantic partnership that serves the universally shared values that inspire the people of Europe and the United States, a partnership that will enable us to face together the challenges of the 21st century”. Congratulations from all continents. A number of European and world leaders underlined specific traits of the newly-elected President. British premier Gordon Brown, pointed out his “liberal values”. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that “through close and trustful cooperation Europe and the United States will meet the new challenges and exploit the many possibility of our globalized world”. The President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, reiterated the “historical, political, cultural and human bond” linking the American and the Italian people. Congratulations were equally conveyed by Russia, Afghanistan, by various African and South-American nations, by Isreal (“a radiant future in US relations”) and by the Palestinian Authority (“to step up joint efforts for peace in the Middle East”). Chinese President Hu Jintao, declared: “In the new historic era, I look forward to working together with you to continuously strengthen dialogue and with the belief that with joint efforts on the two sides the China-US constructive and cooperative relationship will make new progress” and “bring greater benefits to people of our two countries and the rest of the world”. The voices of the European Parliament. As for Europe, a number of political leaders of the European parliament conveyed their thoughts on the US elections. Joseph Daul, floor-leader of the Popular Party in Strasbourg, focused on the economic issues: “In a moment when the financial crisis and its spin-off on economy are the result of the absence or the lack of rules in the American market, our task is to work side by side with the United States” and “with other world powers, in order to establish the rules for a new economy”. Martin Schulz, leader of the Socialist group, explained: “I exhort the President-elect to renew US-EU relations and cooperate with us for world progress. By closing Guantanamo and destroying the plans for the Strategic Defense Initiative on European territory, he would send a first sign of his intentions for the beginning of a new era in the relations between our two continents”. Liberal-democrat floor-leader Grahman Watson argued that “when he was still candidate, Obama claimed he would end divisions within the American populations and between America and the international community. Now that he has been elected President, he only needs to concretize these commitments”. Francis Wurtz, President of the left-wing united group, underlined that the Presidential election of an “Afro-American” has taken place only forty years after the civil rights battle” in the United States.