225
September 1990. The Georgian Supreme Soviet immediately revoked the decision
on 21 September.
550
Nevertheless, the South Osetians continued to reject the policies of the
Georgian government and on 16 October 1990, created an executive committee and
called for the elections. The upcoming Georgian elections, however, distracted the
Georgian leadership from dealing with the South Osetia instantly.
The elections to the newly established South Osetian Republic’ Supreme
Soviet held on 9 December 1990
551
and as a counter move the Supreme Soviet of
Georgia adopted a law abolishing the South Osetian autonomy two days later, on
11 December. This counter-move provoked a justified negative reaction on the part
of South Osetians. These Georgian attitudes perceived by South Osetians as a
threat. They openly turned their face to Moscow and asked for a help to stop the
Georgian aggression. In response, Gorbachev ordered the removal of the Georgian
troops from South Osetia on 7 January 1991 and sent tanks to the area. In addition,
the participation of the South Osetia to the all-Union referendum in March 1991
and overwhelming vote for it made the relations more tense in the middle of the
1991.
In May 1991, surprisingly, South Osetians took a step back in and vote for
abolishing their new Republic, restating it to an autonomous oblast, but now under
the jurisdiction of Russian Federation. Meanwhile, during the mid-1991, the
Georgian forces laid siege to Tskhinval for months and bombarded the city with
artillery to force the population to flee.
550
Felix Corley, “South Osetia between Gamsakhurdia and Gorbachev: 3 documents,” Central
Asian Survey, 16(2): 271.
226
On 28 November 1991, the South Osetian Soviet declared the area a
republic and part of the Russian Federation. Then, on 22 December to gain
recognition from former Union republics in the new circumstances of the
collapsing USSR, it declared the independence of the South Osetian Republic. This
declaration approved by the population in a referendum on 19 January 1992. An
overwhelming 97% voted in favour of an independent South Osetia as a part of
Russian Federation.
In response, the new Georgian regime led by Eduard Shevardnadze initially
seemed to adopt a more conciliatory stance vis-a-vis South Osetia. Nevertheless,
the Osetian leadership refused to enter into negotiations until Shevardnadze pulled
Georgian troops out of the region and lifted the blockade.
At that stage, two important factors intervened the situation and changed
the balance of power to the Osetians. The first factor was the North Osetia. North
Osetians, by using the Russian card tried to pressure Georgians to stop the
aggression towards the South Osetians. Especially, following the brake of
temporary cease-fire on 13 May, all the political contact was broken off and North
Osetia cut the pipeline supplying Georgia with Russian gas.
552
A new cease-fire in
early June again broke-down within a few days
The other factor was the Confederation of the Mountain Peoples of the
Caucasus. When the Georgian aggression was in its height, the representatives of
551
According to the figures of the elections’ organizers, 71% of voters took part and 64 deputies
were elected to the planned 75 seats. See Corley, ibid. p. 271.
227
the popular front movements in both North and South Osetia applied to join the
Assembly of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus in March 1990 and then
became the founding members of the Confederation.
The Confederation officially took the South Osetian issue in its agenda at
the 5
th
session of its Parliament on 27 February 1992 in Grozny. The parliament
adopted a document in which it accused Georgia by attempting to play the South
Osetian option against the Abkhaz people. In order to protect the honour and virtue
of the Caucasian people against this attempt, Confederation’s Presidential Council
and the Parliament warned Georgia to stop its aggressive actions towards the South
Osetians and intimidated to announce general mobilization to send the North
Caucasian volunteers to Abkhazia.
553
Then the South Osetian issue became one of the most important problems
of the Confederation and in each session Presidential Council and the Parliament
took the issue in detail. During the sixth session of the Parliament that was held on
21-22 March 1992 in Vladikavkaz, the issue of the situation in South Osetia and
the ways of stabilizing the situation in the armed conflict zone have been specially
submitted for examination at the session. A parliamentary committee was set up
and instructed to hold talks with authorized representatives of the provisional
government of the Republic of Georgia and the full representatives of the South
Osetia on the settlement of Osetian-Georgian relations.
554
552
“North Osetia imposes blockade of Georgia. Armenia badly affected,” SWB SU/1392, B/7-9, 28
May 1992.
553
“Caucasian Parliament threatens Military intervention in Abkhazia,” SWB SU/1319, B/5-6, 3
March 1992.
Dostları ilə paylaş: |