Prospect of Bush win relieves many Arab states

CAIRO — The prospect of a victory by George W. Bush in the race for United States president has pleased many Arab states but has worried Israel.

Arab diplomatic sources said Bush will return to a more hard-headed approach to the Middle East that emphasizes U.S. interests and the need to sell to Gulf oil states. The sources said this would result in a policy that diminishes Israeli influence.

"There is a sense of relief although no [Arab] leader will say that openly," an Arab diplomatic source said.

Diplomats and analysts said Bush's Middle East policy will be reinforced by a Republican-controlled Congress that opposes U.S. military intervention around the world. The exception, they said, is Iraq. They pointed to the support by the Republican-controlled Congress for the opposition to President Saddam Hussein.

Bush appears to be the victor in U.S. presidential elections. But final results will not be known for at least another day.

Arab leaders as well as officials newspapers and electronic media have refrained from commenting on the meaning of Bush's victory. But Arab diplomatic sources cited Bush's long relationship with Gulf Arabs during his career in the oil business.

The news of a Bush victory was relayed to Prime Minister Ehud Barak as he met senior ministers during a security session on Wednesday. Several ministers expressed concern that Bush's election will scuttle plans for massive military and civilian aid to Israel in any Middle East peace accord.

"They [Bush administration] will not necessarily be hostile to Israel," former Israeli Foreign Ministry director-general Shlomo Avineri said. "But there will not be warmth or understanding."

Israeli Defense sources said they were concerned that Bush would also limit Israeli weapons sales to such countries as China. Officials have urged Barak to revive the suspended sale of the Phalcon airborne early-warning alert system to Beijing after the presidential race.

In contrast, Bush is said to favor India and could allow Israel to sell the Phalcon system to New Dehli, the sources said.

In Gaza, Palestinian Authority officials said Bush's election will provide them with a window of opportunity to declare a Palestinian state over the next few months. They said Bush will prove easier to deal with than President Bill Clinton.

In Teheran, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi called for what he termed a radical change in U.S. policy under Bush. "The time has come for Americans to revise their policies," Kharazi said.