Saakashvili: Some World Leaders to Attend Conference in Tbilisi

President Saakashvili said that a high-profile conference in Tbilisi in October dedicated to Georgia’s post-conflict recovery would be attended by some western leaders.

He told a news conference after talks with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, after midnight on September 9 that the French president, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, would participate in the conference.

In separate remarks with journalists after the news conference, Saakashvili also said that U.S. President George W. Bush was also expected to attend.

Shortly beforehand, Alexander Lomaia, secretary of the Georgian National Security Council, told journalists that President Bush would probably attend.

The conference, Lomaia said, would be separate from the one already planned by the EU to raise funds for Georgia.

The conference, called Summit of Friends of Georgia, will probably be held at the end of October, Lomaia said.