World tunes in to Bush-Kerry debate

The head-to-head between President George W Bush and challenger John Kerry drew a high level of interest overseas, even though Europeans had to stay up late to see it and Asians had to wait until Friday morning their time.

TV stations such as Singapore's Channel NewsAsia carried the whole debate with commentary, and China sent five professors to attend the debate to learn more about US politics.

In Europe and the Middle East, many observers saw Mr Kerry grasping a narrow victory in the candidates' first TV encounter.

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Bush didn't lose much and Kerry didn't gain much. Both failed to set a date for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. This was the US foreign policy debate - however, it did not remotely touch on the longest conflict in the Middle East area. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict got lost between North Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pan-Arab al-Arabiya TV

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John Kerry tried to say that Bush's attack on Iraq deviated from the fight against terrorism. However, George Bush once again stressed that the world is a much safer place after the fall of Saddam, but he failed to produce any evidence to prove his claim... It is not clear yet as to whether the ordinary voters in America paid any attention to contradictions in Bush's remarks.

Iranian state radio

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John Kerry won - at least the first television debate.

German ZDF television news bulletin

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Kerry managed to keep the outcome open in this duel. I had the impression that Bush used his popular appeal very cleverly. Kerry is against unilateral American actions. He doesn't believe that the superpower America can solve all the problems of this world alone. That corresponds with the beliefs of... the German government.

Gernot Erler, senior lawmaker with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats, on German n-tv

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Kerry seemed to show that he had the stuff to be president. He had more facts in his head and he was able to explain his position in Iraq. He is back in the race. This will help him in the race.

Stephan Strothe, commentator on German N24 news channel

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Bush surprised me in one regard: he paid attention to detail, committed no gaffes, he mentioned everyone's name correctly. He even remembered the name of the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, which I doubt many people will remember.

Commentator Nuno Rogeiro on Portuguese SIC Noticias 24-hour news channel

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I believe that neither one of the candidates can claim a resounding victory. Nevertheless, I believe Bush has made enough progress to deny Kerry a turn and the recovery which he would have aimed for in this challenge.

Washington correspondent Luis Costa Ribas, on Portugal's SIC Noticias

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Democrat candidate John Kerry has regained composure and last night scored points in the first presidential debate held at the Miami University. However, no exciting battle but rather a self-confident exchange of known arguments took place... For Kerry this is a come-back to the fight which he was gradually losing...

Czech Radio 1

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John Kerry emerged from today's debate as the winner. Not only as regards the contents of the debate, when he demonstrated deep knowledge - surprisingly, he fared better also as regards the style. While Bush gave the impression of being tired and at times irritated, Kerry was calm and relaxed and showed the Americans that he also has a presidential style.

Radio Slovakia

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When Americans elect their president, their choice is based on his domestic policy, not on his policy towards Russia. In this connection, the second debate will be most important for both candidates when they will be answering questions from viewers, as well as the third debate devoted to internal policy.

Chairman of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov, on Russian Ekho Moskvy radio

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Events in the hall looked more like a well-rehearsed TV show than a clash between genuinely irreconcilable opponents.

Russian NTV Mir television

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Kerry said one new thing after all. He said that we should sit down with the Islamic world and discuss matters. It is very important, and it is precisely this that we could not hear from Bush - the recognition that the USA or the West is facing not a couple of mad terrorists but a proportion of the world.

Hungarian TV

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The two men ended the debate pretty much the way they started it... It's hard to say at this point who came off better... I think both men did themselves some good in this debate and I think that the campaign managers on both sides will be breathing a sigh of relief.

South African SAfm Radio, Washington correspondent Simon Marks

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Coinciding with the first Bush-Kerry television debate, Cuban residents in Miami held on Thursday, in the capital of the Cuban-American Mafia, a protest against the recent measures against the Cuban people in the island, near the Florida University Campus.

Cuba's Radio Rebelde

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