TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA Z. K. GAMSAKHURDIA

The Supreme Council and the President of the USSR receive a great number of appeals expressing the dismay at tensioning the situation in the city of Tskhinvali and in the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast in whole. The extremists are rampaging around, Ossetian and Georgian dwellers are killed, tens of villages are burnt down, peaceful civilians are expelled from their homes and thousands of refugees are in need.

Confirming again the resolutions of the supreme authority of the state, we suggest you to start immediately implementing the measures aimed at putting an end to the extremists’ rampage, including devastation of settlements, and start the negotiations.

M.Gorbachev

30 March 1991

(Newspaper “Abkhazetis Khma” /Voice of Abkhazia/, # 58, 3 April 1991)