Soviet Republics to Drop ‘Socialist’ Label

President Mikhail S. Gorbachev and leaders of nine republics decided Monday to drop the “socialist” designation from the country’s name and call it the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics, presidential aide Georgy Shakhnazarov said.

The meeting, held at the government dacha in the Moscow suburb of Novo-Ogarevo, was one of a series to draft a new Union Treaty, defining relations between the central state, the republics and the autonomous regions.

The participants also worked on the Union Treaty’s preamble and its first section dealing with human rights, “government by the people,” free development of all forms of ownership, market relations and other topics, the official news agency Tass said.