Washington, Jan 7, SPA -- U.S. President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili agreed today that democracies in the former Soviet republics need to be strengthened. In a telephone call today, Bush and Saakashvili agreed on "the need to strengthen democratic institutions and strengthen democracy," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "They agreed on the importance of working together, including with Russia, to find peaceful political solutions to political conflicts in the region." Specifically, the two leaders discussed the case of Ukraine, where a disputed runoff election led to a second vote on December 26. Saakashvili vacationed this week with Ukraine's losing presidential candidate, Viktor Yanukovych.--SPA1107 Local Time 0807 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/230602