Tbilisi (Georgia) May 10 (Reuters): To chants of ?Bushi, Bushi,? President George W. Bush hailed Georgia’s new democracy as a ?beacon of liberty? today and in a swipe at Moscow said the sovereignty of the ex-Soviet republic must be respected.

Tens of thousands of people jammed into Tbilisi’s Freedom Square ? once called Lenin Square ? to cheer Bush at the rallying point for a 2003 ?Rose Revolution? that brought pro-western President Mikhail Saakashvili to power.

Bush threw his weight behind Georgia's efforts to gain the return of two pro-Moscow rebel regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Saakashvili says is vital for his country to recover from years of economic decline.

But, during a 19-hour visit, Bush significantly avoided open backing for Saakashvili in his demand for the speedy closure of two Russian bases on Georgian soil.

Aware that Georgia’s fledgling democracy feels intimidated by neighbouring Moscow, Bush said Washington encouraged Georgia’s closer cooperation with Nato. And he got some of his loudest cheers when he said: ?The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia must be respected... by all nations?.

The US-educated Saakashvili asked for Washington’s help in joining the list of other ex-Soviet states to join Nato.