Obama strikes the right note with France.

The European reaction to president Obama and the thorny issue of Afghanistan seems to be varying between European member states. Recently Spain posted a distinctly cold reaction to the suggestion of further troops being sent to the area, a view which also looks to be shared by Germany.

France seems to have had a more favorable first impression of the Obama administration’s approach to thorny problems like Afghanistan. Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier stated that the desire to plunge right in to contentious issues and a willingness to listen to allies’ input are setting the new Washington administration apart from its predecessors.

“What is very striking is the difference in tonality in the posture and in how (the U.S.) listens,” Chevallier said.

This would be a turnaround from the view in Europe of a Bush administration reluctant to consult with allies. That stance fed the cautiousness of an already prickly France which had led opposition to the war in Iraq.