WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (AFP) - World leaders on Monday voiced hope that the election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian president would lead to a lasting peace in the Middle East as they vowed to work with him to create a viable state for his people.
"I look forward to welcoming (Abbas) here to Washington if he chooses to come here," said US President George W. Bush, who had shunned Abbas' predecessor, the late veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"I'm heartened by the elections," Bush told reporters.
A White House spokesman added: "Now, our focus is on working with... the new leaders, to put in place the democratic institutions necessary for a viable democratic state to emerge and living side by side in peace and security with Israel."
The world chorused its approval over the choice of Abbas to replace the late Yasser Arafat. He was to be sworn in on Wednesday following the election Sunday in which he won more than 62 percent of the vote.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan congratulated Palestinians for their "commitment to democracy".
He welcomed the election as "a significant step in what is a historic democratic transition in the occupied Palestinian territory," and that "the commitment to democracy of the Palestinian people and their institutions is a strong foundation for President Abbas to build on," in a statement from his spokesman.
Even in Israel, Abbas' election was seen as a sign of hope. His election will present "an opportunity for an historic breakthrough" said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, while Labor party leader Shimon Peres, who joined the coalition government as number two Monday, predicted that "A new process will begin. An important change has taken place and I hope that the new Palestinian leadership is a reflection of change in the Palestinian path."
The quartet of powers that drew up a so-called roadmap for peace in the region -- the UN, the European Union, the United States and Russia -- all hailed Abbas.
Russia said the Palestinians had made "a clear choice in favor of a political resolution" to the conflict with Israel.
President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying Abbas' "rich political experience" would allow him "to carry out the great mission bestowed on him by the Palestinian people to create an independent Palestinian state that coexists in peace and agreement with Israel."
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who arrived in Ramallah on Monday as part of a one-week tour of the region, said the Palestinian people had voted with "good sense and reason." The task facing Abbas, he said, was to "create the conditions to allow a Palestinian state to be created" while taking into account the security needs of Israel.
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said Abbas' election was "a very important step towards the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state." He said it was "encouraging" that Abbas and Sharon were planning to meet soon.
"We look to the new leadership to seize the chance to bring a better future for the people of the region. The EU will certainly support all those who sincerely seek a negotiated settlement," Barroso said.
Turkey, Israel's only regional ally, said it saw the election as "an important stage on the path to the revival of the long-stalled peace process."
In a message promising Germany's support, Foreign Minister Joshka Fischer, who has gained the confidence of both the Israelis and the Palestinians in frequent trips to the region, said Abbas "represents the hopes of many people in the Middle East and the entire world that Palestinians and Israelis will succeed in the near future to find a peaceful solution to the conflict."
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Abbas was "taking office at a time when new opportunities are opening up in the peace process," and added that he trusted the Palestinian people "will follow your chosen path of rejecting violence and pursuing wide-ranging reforms."
Newspapers across Europe said Abbas' election marked the end of the Arafat era and presented the region with a unique opportunity to achieve lasting peace.
"Now that Palestine has elected a president who is not Yasser Arafat, peace with Israel can once again be possible," the daily Le Figaro said in Paris, noting that Palestinians had chosen a leader who has condemned anti-Israeli suicide attacks.
In Britain The Times said that rarely had so much been expected of a leader with so little time to achieve it.
"While praising Yasser Arafat during the election campaign Abbas will now have to unpick much of his predecessor's legacy," the paper said.
The Guardian said Abbas had "a mountain to climb," in dealing with the 30 percent of Palestinians who back the incendiary group Hamas as well as militants of his own Fatah group who find him too moderate."
In Poland, the daily Rzeczpospolita said Abbas was almost certain to become the first leader of an independent Palestine," but warned, "without success in the fight against terrorism we can rule out the prospect of a normal and prosperous life in the future Palestinian state."
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said he was convinced that under Abbas, the aspirations of the Palestinians to live with security in an independent and democratic country would become a reality.
French President Jacques Chirac said in a message to Abbas that the new leader represented "a settlement based upon dialogue and justice. I am convinced that all your fellow citizens, and also the other people in the region, can count on your legitimacy and your experience to move in a direction of wisdom and openness."
01/10/2005 19:41 GMT - AFP