U.S. President George W. Bush's plan to emphasize the importance of democracy during a visit to Latvia and Georgia next week is not meant as a provocation to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a top White House official said Wednesday. The trip is to celebrate the defeat of fascism and tyranny in Europe as part of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II on the continent as well as the collapse of communism, said Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley. "The president is not going to those two countries to send any message to Russia," Hadley said. Bush will fly to Latvia and, after a stop in the Netherlands, will head to Moscow before visiting Georgia, where be plans a major speech on democracy, DPA reported. Bush departs for Europe on Friday for the five-day trip.
