World media assess Bush visit

International media comment continues to highlight problems facing George W Bush and Tony Blair at the start of the US president's state visit to Britain.

European and Russian editorials consider the nature of the 'special relationship' and highlight British public hostility to the visit; Middle Eastern writers focus on Iraq; and in Asia, there are doubts about Mr Bush's motives and courage.

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The paradox of this visit to the European country considered closest to the US is that ultimately it could reveal to those Americans who ignore it how unpopular their president and his policies are beyond their borders.

Le Monde - France

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Blair must show that the special relationship is not a one-way street. He says you have more influence if you operate quietly than if you complain and criticise publicly... But Blair has to prove that his voice really carries weight with Bush, from steel and world trade to the Kyoto Protocol and Guantanamo. And most importantly, on Palestine.

Der Tagesspiegel - Germany

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Iraq is spoiling the whole victory party of the state visit... Bush's visit provides a visible reminder of this Anglo-American fiasco at the very moment when Tony Blair has only just managed to stem a sharp fall in his ratings. Washington's plan to speed up the creation of an Iraqi government... is designed to improve matters - not so much for Blair as for Bush himself, who is worried about what sort of political achievements he will be taking with him into presidential election year.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta - Russia

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Bush is facing opposition inside America, thanks to his unilateral policies and military intervention in Iraq... Tony Blair's plight is no better. He is facing increasing criticism from British public opinion because of the fabrications of the past several months to justify the war in Iraq, and because no evidence has been discovered to prove that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Iranian radio commentator

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Perhaps President Bush... hoped this visit would help polish his image, especially since the recent European opinion polls considered Bush the 'second most dangerous man' threatening world peace... The intense anger among the British public towards Bush's visit shows clearly that the US has lost the understanding of the people of the most important European country that supported it in its war on Iraq.

Tishrin - Syria

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Blair has long suffered difficulties because of the Iraq war, and this visit will cause further harm... Bush has chosen the wrong time for his visit to Britain. Bush may not necessarily obtain the Blair government's support and can only trigger further waves of anti-war demonstrations in Britain and all over Europe, so that the losses outweigh the gains.

Ta Kung Pao - Hong Kong (pro-Beijing)

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George W Bush may have boasted that he causes 'panic' in the countries he visits, but this is the first time since becoming US president three years ago that Bush was 'terrified' when he landed in London. His panic in facing the absolute freedom which the British people have long enjoyed was proven when he cancelled his plans to address parliament because of fears that his speech might prompt actions by anti-war MPs. His actions have made him a 'coward' in the eyes of the British people.

Berita Harian - Malaysia

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The current visit by President Bush will bring nothing for either guest or host. Both have to face elections. Both are struggling to restore their lost prestige. Bodybags carrying troops from both countries are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. There is also very little possibility of fulfilling the expectations of the UK people that America will hand over for trial the two UK citizens imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.

Pakistan - Pakistan

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BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.