CRAWFORD, August 16, 2008 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush assured Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili by telephone Saturday of US support in the conflict with Russia, the White House said.

'In the phone call, President Bush reiterated United States support for the government and people of Georgia,' US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.

'President Saakashvili called the president to discuss the ongoing situation in Georgia,' Johndroe said as Bush spent time on his ranch near this tiny Texas town.