Bush urges Russian leader to not recognize regions

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — President Bush appealed to Russia’s president Monday to ignore the advice of lawmakers and refrain from recognizing Georgia’s breakaway regions as independent.

The move came as the White House announced Vice President Dick Cheney would visit Georgia, a blast of support for an ally still reeling from its brief war with Russia.

Bush’s intervention reflected the deep stakes for Georgia, which is a former Soviet republic, and the broader U.S.-Russia relationship, as the fate of separatist Abkhazia and South Ossetia remained in flux.

Both houses of the Russian parliament voted unanimously to urge Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the two regions as independent.

Medvedev did not immediately respond but has said Moscow would support the choice of the people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“I call on Russia’s leadership to meet its commitments and not recognize these separatist regions,” Bush said in a statement from Texas, where he is vacationing at his ranch.

“Georgia’s territorial integrity and borders must command the same respect as every other nation’s, including Russia’s,” the president said.

Bush said independence for the two regions would undercut the international attempt to resolve Georgia’s border disputes, a United Nations effort that Russia has supported.