"More impetuous than considered, more sympathetic than serious, and possessing a strong instinct to defend what he considers his interests"

Spain's former prime minister Jose Maria Aznar has heaped praise on US President George W. Bush in his memoirs … describing him as a man endowed with strong leadership abilities

writes the AFP.

But Aznar, one of the US' closest European allies in the Iraq war, was cooler in his comments about French President Jacques Chirac whom he described as "more impetuous than considered".

Fidel Castro, Tony Blair, Silvio Berlusconi and Pope John Paul II also feature among about 40 world leaders mentioned in the memoirs which cover Aznar's two mandates from 1996 until 2004.

…Pope John Paul II also made a strong impression on Aznar who says he was an "example of the strongest leadership" that he ever encountered despite their differences on the Iraq war.

However, while Aznar enjoyed a honeymoon period in relations with Bush, those with the French President Jacques Chirac deteriorated as Chirac became the main leader of international opposition to the Iraq war.

The French president is described in his memoirs as "more impetuous than considered, more sympathetic than serious, more dynamic than serene and furthermore possessing a strong instinct to defend what he considers his interests". …