A day after his ruling coalition was narrowly returned to power, Schroeder said he was confident transatlantic relations would improve.

He also announced the resignation of a minister who allegedly compared US President George W. Bush's methods over Iraq to those used by Hitler to divert attention from domestic problems.

But almost at the same time, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was busy telling reporters in Warsaw that Schroeder had "poisoned" bilateral relations by the "notably unhelpful" way he had conducted his election campaign.

It was not the first time such a phrase had been used: US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice told a German newspaper at the weekend that the Hitler comparison had also "poisoned" the atmosphere.

The United States had publicly criticized Schroeder's categoric refusal to join any attack on Iraq and his denunciation of the US position, saying they were isolating Germany on the international stage.

So while countries as varied as Britain and Iran were congratulating him on his victory in Sunday's vote, the silence from Washington was deafening.

"We are eagerly saying nothing for the moment, those are the orders," one State Department official said.

"In this case, we may end up following the line that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Schroeder himself said fears of lasting damage to German-US relations were groundless and he was confident they would quickly resume their old vigour.

He recalled how he had put his government and his job on the line last year to deploy German troops in the US-led anti-terror coalition.

"It wasn't just anybody who called the confidence vote," he added. "It was me, no one else."

But the chancellor insisted his anti-war policy stood. "We will not change anything."

That stance struck a chord in a nation which has a profound pacifist streak due to its militaristic past, but led to charges that he was exploiting fears of war to gain votes.

"There is certainly some repair work to be done," said Michael Kreile, a professor of politics at Berlin's Humboldt University.

He said he expected Schroeder to be more flexible now the election was over, especially if a new UN mandate gave him room to move.

One idea would be for Schroeder to offer German bases as support points for any US strike on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's administration, which Bush says is developing weapons of mass destruction.

"The most urgent thing now is to repair relations with the US and the UN," agreed Etienne Francois, a professor of modern history at Berlin's Technical University.

He expected Schroeder to allow Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer to take the lead. In contrast to the chancellor, Fischer has at least spoken to Bush in the past few months and "has the ear of Washington."

They "have to get back to a minimum of dialogue with the United States and get a more positive role in the UN, not only of refusal (of a US resolution) but also of proposition," Francois said.

Analysts said Germany may also take on more of the burden in multinational military operations in the Balkans and Afghanistan.

As for the Hitler jibe, the furore it caused may not melt away with Herta Daeubler-Gmelin, the justice minister who made the reported remarks.

Commentators said Schroeder had set the tone for such outbursts by his own hard line during the campaign.

"Schroeder is not innocent in this tragedy," said Josef Joffe, publisher of the respected weekly Die Zeit. "He made such words of wisdom acceptable in pleasant company with his attacks on America."

(China Daily September 25, 2002)