U.S. Diplomats Incited Tatars, Soviets Charge
The Soviet Union today charged that American diplomats incited a group of Tatars to stage anti-government demonstrations.
The Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Embassy officials and verbally protested what it said was U.S. incitement of “individual Soviet citizens to commit illegal acts,” the official Tass news agency said in a brief statement.
The statement called on the U.S. Embassy to “take all the necessary measures.”
Tass, meanwhile, warned the Crimean Tatar demonstrators that further disruption of public order would not be tolerated and that “no one would be allowed to abuse Soviet democracy.”
The tough language came as a small group of Crimean Tatars demonstrated today in Pushkin Square to demand they be allowed to return to their homeland. About 500 Tatars demonstrated overnight in Red Square during the weekend.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Jaroslav Verner said: “Allegations of improper activities by embassy officers are absurd.
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