Bush pledges support for Georgia

US President George Bush, greeted with a huge outpouring of affection in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, expressed strong support for the fledgling democracy today and said: “You’ve got a solid friend in America.”

Bush encouraged Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to use peaceful means to settle disputes with two separatist regions – Abkhazia and South Ossetia - which are aligned with Moscow.