led war in Iraq, increasing its troop commitment to 850 after requests from Washington and the United Nations. Moscow is keeping tabs on Tbilisi's close ties with Washington, given that Georgia sits on Russia's southern border and serves as a major conduit for Caspian Sea oil. But Zhvania made clear the United States, which has increased its presence in the region in recent years, would not have any military installations in Georgia. "Our position is that we do not want any permanent bases of any other country on Georgian soil," he said. --SP 2016 Local Time 1716 GMT
