Cheney pledges U.S. support for Georgia

TBILISI, Georgia, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The United States is committed to Georgia's integrity and its right to forge relationships, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said in Georgia, Thursday.

Cheney was in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, to meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili the day after the Bush administration announced the United States would be contributing an additional $1 billion in economic aid to help Georgia rebuild after last month's conflict with Russia.

"These funds will support reconstruction, humanitarian needs, the resettlement of displaced persons and other vital priorities," Cheney said during a news briefing with Saakashvili.

Cheney called for a peaceful resolution in the dispute over Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have historic ties to Russia.

"Russia's actions have cast grave doubt on Russia's intentions and on its reliability as an international partner," Cheney said, "not just in Georgia but across this region and indeed throughout the international system."

Saakashvili said Georgian officials were committed to "a peaceful resolution of all the issues."

"And we are committed to a dialogue with everybody, internally, and with all the nations in the neighborhood and worldwide," he said.