TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR A. I. LOUKIANOV

Honorable Anatoliy Ivanovich!

Having learnt the Resolution of the Supreme Council of the USSR “on the Situation in the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast and the measures for stabilizing the situation in the Region” the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia declares about the necessity of the following.

First of all we have to express our protest regarding the name of our country. You pronounce it as “Georgian SSR”, instead the Republic of Georgia.

The Presidium of the Republic of Georgia positively estimates the recognition of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia by the Supreme Council of the SSSR, as well as its decision on the necessity to disband all illegal armed formations and to stop illegal producing, keeping and distributing the arms. At the same time the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia may not see the introduction of the state of emergency “on the whole territory of South Ossetia with participation of the internal troops of the Ministry of Interior of the USSR” as it escalates the tension in the conflict-free districts where the Ossetian boeviks have no support. Instead the extremists, equipped with the newest combat techniques and holding the stronghold in Tskhinvali and Java shall be immediately disarmed. Dissipation of troops of the USSR and Georgian Ministries of Interior over the region will only weaken the effort towards peace in the most dangerous places of the conflict. It is also important to take into account the political assessment to the application of the Interior Troops of the USSR in the regions where the conflict is not evident and where the Ossetian and Georgian families live in peace and accord. There are many of such areas outside of the former autonomous oblast where 100 000 Ossetians live. It is important to deprive the boeviks from the possibility to terrorize Georgian and Ossetian population in Tskhinvali and in Java district through the forces of Georgia and of the Ministry of Interior of the USSR. The Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Georgia commits itself to secure the safety of the population of other regions of the former autonomous republic.

There is no reference in the Resolution that the energy blockade was introduced by the independent union of the power engineering specialists as a response to the manufacturing of arms in the factories under the control of Ossetian boeviks. Therefore, it is not possible to cut off electricity only to the factories.

As for the children, sick and aged people, the Ministry of health and the Ministry of Interior of Georgia several times offered them to take to the safe place, but they refused. They remain as hostages of the boeviks.

The food sent to the region failed to reach the place of destination and was captured by the boeviks.

Currently there are no political powers in the region able to lead the negotiations on conflict resolution. Different groups are fighting also with one another and none of them may stop the boeviks' actions.

Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia is ready to start negotiations with the representatives of Ossetian population of Shida Kartli. They should be authorized to take part in negotiations but at the same time the effective measures shall be taken for ending the actions of Ossetian boeviks and securing the comprehensive security in the zone of state of emergency; otherwise it will not be possible to stop terrorizing the persons from the Ossetian side leading the negotiations on conflict settlement.

An finally, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia regretfully notes that the reference in the Preamble of the said Resolution to “burning and robbing the citizens’ property, state agencies, public organizations, the oblast Theatre”, also to “abuse of cultural and historical monuments” – is meant as the facts of vandalism from the Georgian side, while the most of the actions had been conducted by the Ossetian boeviks (by the way, Georgian Oblast Theatre also is robbed and Georgian schools are burnt down etc.), and those actions were responded. For some reason the Resolution of the Supreme Council of the USSR says nothing about the roots of the conflict thus encouraging Ossetian extremists and toughening the conflict.

Bearing in mind the very fact that the whole of Georgian population has been ousted from Tskhinvali, it will become clear who were the initiators and performers of robberies and violent acts, which are attributed to the Georgian side.

With this regard it also should be mentioned that over the recent years Georgia has become the object of misinformation unleashed by the media. Such malpractice is moreover dangerous for the tensed situation. The Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia expresses its protest against the aforementioned developments.

The fruitful negotiations with the Ossetian extremists on political settlement of the conflict are only possible through immediate disbanding and disarming of all armed formations in the region, first of all in Tskhinvali and Java.

On behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia Z. Gamsakhurdia

(Newspaper “Sovetskaya Abkhazia”, # 32, 27 February 1991)