President George W. Bush telephoned Mikheil Saakashvili on 7 January to congratulate him on his victory in the 4 January presidential election. Bush reportedly expressed support for Saakashvili\'s plans to advance democratic and market-oriented economic reforms, to fight corruption, to strengthen the partnership with the United States, and to bolster relations with Russia. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has urged the new Georgian leadership to \"work in close cooperation\" with the IMF, which is to send a mission to Tbilisi in early February to discuss a possible new loan program, Caucasus Press reported on 8 January. The State Department noted that agreement with the IMF is a prerequisite for discussing with the Paris Club the possibility of rescheduling Georgia\'s $2 billion national debt. (Caucasus Press)