US Vice President Cheney arrives in Georgia in a show of support

By AP
US Vice President Dick Cheney has arrived in Georgia, in a show of support for the South Caucasus nation and its pro-Western president. The visit comes a day after the White House announced a US$1 billion economic aid package for the country, ravaged by last month's war with Russia. The trip and his meetings with President Mikhail Saakashvili Thursday have raised speculation that a US military aid package might be announced soon. The Kremlin is unhappy with Cheney's visit and other rhetoric from Washington. Any decision by the US to rebuild Georgia's shattered military would further provoke Moscow. Cheney arrives after a trip to neighboring Azerbaijan, which is the starting point for a major oil pipeline that crosses Georgia and ends in Turkey.