Paris,Americans and Europeans agree that Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton would make the best US president of the current contenders for the post, according to a poll made public Friday.

The survey by the Harris Institute for France 24 television and the Paris-based International Herald Tribune found that enthusiasm for Clinton was significantly higher among Europeans than Americans.

Asked which of 10 candidates would make the best president, Clinton received the nod from 22 percent of the Americans asked, 24 percent of the British, 29 percent of the Spaniards, 30 percent of the Italians, 35 percent of the French and 40 percent of the Germans.

She was far ahead of the two men who finished second, Democratic rival Barack Obama and Republican Rudy Giuliani, both of whom were supported by 12 percent of the US respondents.

Obama finished second in France and Germany, while Giuliani was the runner-up in Britain, Italy and Spain.

In a question involving only Americans, Clinton also came out ahead in voter intention, with 25 percent of respondents saying they would vote for her, compared to 15 percent for Giuliani and 13 percent for Obama.

Most European respondents agreed that the election of a woman as US president would have a positive effect on the US, with support ranging from 53 to 56 percent in Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

Significantly, Americans showed the lowest support for that idea, with only 29 percent saying it would be positive, while 26 percent said they thought electing a woman would have a negative effect.

The same question was posed regarding the possible election of Obama, a black man.

Between 43 percent (Britain and Germany) and 50 percent (Spain) of Europeans thought electing a black man would have a positive effect on the US. Only 33 percent of Americans thought so.

The poll also revealed the depth of the unpopularity of current US President George W. Bush among Europeans.

Asked if they would like it if Bush could run again for president, Europeans said overwhelmingly no, with between 72 percent (British) and 87 percent (French and Germans) rejecting the idea. More than two-thirds of American respondents also did not want Bush to run again.

The poll was carried out between Nov 1 and 14, 2007, with a total sample of 6,590 adults - including 1,075 in France, 1,114 in Germany, 1,117 in Britain, 1,100 in Italy, 1,076 in Spain and 1,108 in the US. No margin of error was provided.

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