Bush Backs Georgia's Desire For NATO-Membership
Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Staff Writer Washington D.C. (AHN) - During an oval office meeting with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Wednesday, U.S. President George W. Bush said that the ex-Soviet state's desire for joining NATO will be worked out. The comment comes just a week before President Bush attends the Group of Eight Summit hosted by Russia. Moscow has strongly opposed Tbilisi's entrance to NATO in the past. Giving his assurance to Saakashvili, President Bush said, "I believe that NATO would benefit with Georgia being a member of NATO and I think Georgia would benefit." "And we will work with our partners in NATO to see if we can't make the path a little smoother for Georgia," he added. Saakashvili, who came to power in Georgia's 2003 Rose Revolution, said he and President Bush discussed the upcoming G8 summit. "And certainly there are lots of issues that are at stake there." Citing Georgia's strong ties with Washington, Russia suspects that the U.S. is trying to meddle in its sphere of influence. Saakashvili has pledged to regain control of the its two pro-western provinces and says Russia, which has troops in the regions and supplements their budgets, is trying to undermine Georgian sovereignty by supporting their de facto independence. During his last year visit to Tbilisi, President Bush praised Georgia as a "beacon of democracy". At the Oval Office meeting, he called Saakash |
