Lithuania Reaches ‘Political Dead End’--Text of Soviet Letter

Here is the text of the letter that Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev and Prime Minister Nikolai I. Ryzhkov sent to the Lithuanian leadership, as carried by the official Tass news agency. It was translated into English by Tass:

Artificially and illicitly provoked by the Lithuanian leadership, the issue of the republic’s position in the federal state tightens into an ever-tighter knot, assuming the nature of a political dead end.

Despite constructive and well-considered measures by the supreme bodies of state authority of the U.S.S.R., which would enhance Lithuanian sovereignty within the constitutional framework, the republic’s leadership continues to adopt legislative acts and decisions that set Lithuania in opposition to other republics and the Soviet Union as a whole.

On April 5, for instance, a law was adopted, “on identity cards for citizens of the Lithuanian republic” that discriminates against Soviet citizens who are willing to live and work in accordance with the constitution and laws of the U.S.S.R.

The Lithuanian Supreme Soviet’s decision to halt spring conscription activities in the republic is a flagrant violation of the U.S.S.R. Law on General Military Service.

Contrary to the U.S.S.R. Council of Ministers’ resolution “on measures to protect the property of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on the territory of the Lithuanian S.S.R. (Soviet Socialist Republic),” republican authorities are making illegitimate attempts to seize this property.

Such actions, the list of which continues, can no longer be tolerated. They aim to undermine political and socioeconomic stability in the country, damage democratic processes and seriously infringe on Soviet citizens’ rights.

Other constituent republics are asking quite aptly why they should continue supplying products to Lithuania at the expense of their own needs, while the latter’s steering agencies continue their anti-constitutional actions and disregard the rightful interests of the integral national economy and the country’s citizens.

In this situation, we are compelled to issue the following warning: If the Supreme Soviet and the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian S.S.R. do not rescind the above decisions within the next two days, instructions will be given to stop supplies to the Lithuanian S.S.R. from other constituent republics of those categories of products that are sold on external markets for freely convertible currency.

We do not want things to go as far as this measure, but the situation now fully depends on the Lithuanian leadership.

At the same time, we reaffirm once again that we look to the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet and the Council of Ministers to take decisions that will restore the republic’s position to that of March 10, 1990. This would make it possible to begin dealing with the entire package of issues without delay.