APPEAL OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR TO THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF GEORGIAN SSR AND TO THE OBLAST COUNCIL OF SOUTH OSSETIAN AUTONOMOUS OBLAST

Distinguished comrades!

The presidium of the Supreme council of the USSR is deeply concerned with the situation established in Georgian SSR and in South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast.

On 20 September 1990 the session of the Oblast Council of the People’s Deputies of South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast adopted decision on announcing the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast as the South Ossetian Soviet Democratic Republic within the USSR. Later it was renamed as South Ossetian Soviet Republic. On 21 September the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Georgian SSR declared the said decision as null and void.

On 11 December the session of the elected Supreme Council of the South Ossetian Soviet Republic adopted the resolution on re-subordination of all state-legal structures under the USSR.

At the same day the Supreme Council of Georgian SSR adopted the law on incompliance, though which it abolished the South Ossetian Autonomous oblast, which had existed within Georgia for about 70 years. At the same time the changes were introduced to the Constitution of Georgian SSR – deleting the provisions related to the Oblast.

These acts of the Supreme Council of Georgian SSR, although conducted in response to the unconstructive decision of the autonomous oblast, run counter to the Constitution of the USSR.

According to article 87 of the Constitution of the USSR the South Ossetian autonomous oblast exists within the Georgian SSR. Any decision on changing the status of the autonomous entity shall be considered by the Congress of the Peoples’ deputies of the USSR under article 108 of the USSR Constitution; and only after approval by the Congress it will gain the legal force.

The Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR declared on enactment of the law on abolishing the Oblast upon the promulgation of the said law. Therefore, the Constitutional rule for considering the issue on changing the status of the autonomous entities has been grossly violated.

The steps made by the Council of People’s Deputies of the South Ossetian autonomous oblast and by the Supreme Council of Georgian SSR have exacerbated the situation in the Republic.

Being guided by the law, humane aspirations and the concern for the people’s fate and for the sake of vital important interests of Georgian and Ossetian people and of all other nations residing in the Republic, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR calls upon the Supreme Council of Georgian SSR and to the Oblast Council of People’s Deputies of South Ossetia to pursue the common sense and abolish their anti-constitutional decisions.

Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR

(Newspaper “Sovetskaia Osetia”,# 235, 16 December 1990)