SPECIAL EDITION: CRISIS IN THE KREMLIM : An Appeal for Soviets to Cooperate

Here is the text of Acting Soviet President Gennady I. Yanayev’s news conference Monday:

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, comrades, as I’m sure you know from the media reports, due to the inability to continue in office and under article 127.7 of the U.S.S.R. constitution, of the U.S.S.R. president, the vice president has taken office of the U.S.S.R. president.

I’m addressing you, ladies and gentlemen, at a crucial moment for the Soviet Union and the entire international community. They took a path and have gone a long way toward reform and now the Soviet Union has faced a deep crisis, which can call into question further reform and bring major upheavals in the international scene.

It is no secret to anyone that a drastic drop in production, which is not being compensated by alternative economic structures, is posing a real threat to further development and survival of U.S.S.R. nations. The situation has gone out of control in the U.S.S.R. and we’re facing a situation of multi-rule.

This is a cause of popular discontent. We’re also facing a threat of disintegration, the breakup of a single economic space, a single space of civil liberties, a single defense and a single foreign policy.

A normal life under these circumstances is impossible. In many regions of the U.S.S.R., due to inter-ethnic rivalry, there is bloodshed and the breakup of the Soviet Union would entail the gravest internal and international repercussions.

Under the circumstances, we have no other alternative but to take resolute action in order to stop the country from sliding down to a disaster.

As I’m sure you know, in order to provide an effective government under the state of emergency, it has been decided to set up a state committee on the state of emergency in the U.S.S.R., which will consist of Mr. (Oleg) Baklanov, first deputy chairman of the U.S.S.R. defense council; Mr. (Vladimir) Kryuchkov, chairman of the KGB; Mr. (Valentin) Pavlov, Soviet prime minister; Mr. (Boris) Pugo, minister of the interior; Mr. (Vasily) Starodubtsev, chairman of the U.S.S.R. Peasants’ Council; Mr. (A.I.) Tizyakov, president of the Transport and Communications Assn.; Mr. (Dmitri) Yazov, Soviet defense minister, and Mr. (Gennady) Yaneyev, acting president of the U.S.S.R.

Today, I would like to say the following:

The State Committee on the State of Emergency in the U.S.S.R. is well aware of the gravest crisis which we’re going through and it is determined to take full responsiblity and to adopt urgent measures to get the country out of the crisis.

We pledge to ensure a nationwide discussion of the draft union treaty and every citizen of the U.S.S.R. will have the opportunity to assess this document at his leisure and take a decision which will shape the future of our multinational homeland.

We’re determined that further delay to restore law and order, stop the bloodshed and to wage relentless war on the criminal underworld. And to root out this social scourge, we will rid our cities of crime and will prevent further pilfering. We stand for genuine democratic reforms, for a consistent reform policy toward a social renewal and economic prosperity, which will enable our country to adopt the place it deserves in the world community of nations.

The development of our country must not be built on the falling living standards. Without departing from the human rights principles, we will emphasize the protection of rights of those individuals who are most disadvantaged and suffer most from inflation, economic disintegration, crime and corruption.

We’ll develop an economic diversification. We’ll uphold free enterprise and create all the conditions for the development of production in the service sector. Our top priority is food and housing. We’ll mobilize all the forces to meet these most urgent needs of all the people.

We call upon the peasants, the workers and the working intelligentsia, in other words all Soviet people, to re-establish labor discipline and to uphold production in order to continue forward. On this will depend the future of our children and granchildren and the future of our homeland.

We’re a peaceful nation and we’ll strictly adhere to the obligations we’ve assumed. We have no claims on anyone at all we want to live in peace and harmony with everyone, but we state that noboby, but nobody can infringe on our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. And any attempt to dictate terms to our country, whoever they come from, will be stopped.

Our multinational country has lived for generations in pride for its homeland. We’ve never been ashamed about patriotic feeling and we think it justified that the younger generation be raised in that spirit.

To do nothing at this crucial period means to take a grave responsibilty for tragic, really unpredictable circumstances. Anyone who wants to live and work in peace who does not accept the bloodshed, who wants to see his homeland in prosperity, must take the only right choice we call on genuine patriots, all people of goodwill, to put an end to these turbulent times. We call on all the citizens of the U.S.S.R. to fulfill their responsiblity and to provide the necessary support to the State of Emergency Committee (word unintelligible) to get the country out of the crisis. All constructive proposals from individuals and work collectives will be considered with gratitude as the manifestation of patriotism and the desire to re-establish multinational friendship for the revival of our homeland. I thank you.