Blair victory: European reaction

LONDON, England -- European leaders and newspaper editorials have welcomed Tony Blair's victory in the UK elections and urged him to make the leap and join the euro.

Blair's landslide victory will give him the authority to persuade voters to ditch the British pound and join the European currency, the continent hoped.

Newspapers were most outspoken in their appeals.

The French conservative daily Le Figaro said Blair was "without doubt the only British politician able to convince his country to adopt the euro."

It added: "If he succeeds, it won't matter whether he is Labour or Tory -- Tony Blair will have restored Britain to its proper place in Europe."

The German conservative daily Die Welt urged Blair to "commit himself and to associate his name with a clear course -- for or against the euro, for or against the jump across the Channel. Jump, Tony, jump."

They were not afraid to point to other domestic issues that needed to be tackled.

The Italian newspaper La Stampa said: "Everyone knows that Blair must concentrate on two things: public services and joining the euro."

Politicians and the European Central Bank were more temperate in their comments.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was among the first to congratulate Blair, telling Reuters news agency the voters had "recognised the success of your reform-friendly and responsible policies."

British Conservative party leader William Hague had campaigned against joining the euro during the campaign. He lost resoundingly, making no inroads in to the Labour majority, and resigned hours after the election result had been announced.

Blair said during the campaign that he believed he could persuade the British electorate to vote for joining the euro during a referendum promised for this term.

French socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin reaffirmed "the importance that France puts on Great Britain's stance in all European matters," Reuters reported.

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the victory "creates the conditions … to create a new chapter in the participation and contribution of Great Britain to European developments."

ECB board member Eugenio Domingo Solans said Blair's triumph was "positive from the point of view of European integration and from my point of view as a pro-European."