Bush Congratulates Saakashvili on Re-Election

U.S. President George W. Bush phoned Mikheil Saakashvili and congratulated him on his re-election, Stephen Hadley, the U.S. National Security Adviser, said on January 14.

“The president, just as we took off [from Dubai for Riyadh], called President-elect Saakashvili of Georgia, congratulated him on his electoral victory,” Hadley told journalists.

“Saakashvili was appreciative of the president’s call. He indicated that he had reached out to the opposition and was going to try and build a consensus during his – what will be, obviously – his last term as president,” Hadley added. “It was a good call and obviously, at some point after his inauguration he will obviously come to Washington as the new President of Georgia.”

When asked whether Bush raised any concerns about how the election was held, Hadley responded: “The president didn’t.” He said: “There have been a number of groups that have opined on that subject, and it’s pretty clear that he [Saakashvili] won more than 50 percent, and therefore, avoided a second round… What he [Bush] heard, what I think was very encouraging, was Saakashvili’s indication that he was going to reach out to the opposition and try and build a national consensus going forward in his rule. So this is a good thing. The Georgian people have spoken and they have a new President and will move forward on that basis.”