Author Topic: Council of Albion - Message to Merina  (Read 5876 times)

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Offline Libby

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Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« on: May 15, 2020, 09:25:58 PM »

Following a recent meeting between the membership of the Council of Albion it was determined that action should be taken to try and bring about a peaceful end to the ongoing civil war in Merina. The Council understands that this long running conflict is complex and features many factions however it is the innocent people of Merina who are suffering. In order to therefore attempt to support the various factions in bringing about a lasting and sustainable peace the Council would like to invite all factions to the Council's HQ to begin talks to end the civil war.

With this aim in mind with immediate notice the members of the Council shall not supply any military material to any party engaged in the current conflict. Additionally no member of the Council of Albion will purchase goods and services from any party engaged in the civil war.

Member nations now await the response of the parties involved in the civil war however we are determined to not allow this war to continue. As a result should no response be heard from a faction within 72 hours[1] further action has been sanctioned by the Council up to and including the prospect of the use of military assets.

We hope that all factions will accept our invitation.

THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL OF ALBION
 1. Not OOC 72hours

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2020, 10:12:49 PM »


Commonwealth of Merina
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; General Communique


In Response to the Council of Albion

As you may be aware, the Commonwealth of Merina is presently engaged in broad security operations against terroristic elements operating within our borders. While we are open to discussion with the Council - noting, however, that this is not an organisation to which we are party - we are not willing to entertain any cessation to the fighting short of total and unconditional surrender from the aforementioned elements, with the individuals responsible for this conflict placing themselves entirely at the mercy of the natural laws of the Commonwealth. We shall not be bulled or cowed; we shall not flinch from our duty to secure a future for our people.




Commonwealth of Merina

National Liberation Army

Friends in the Council of Albion,

We are gladdened to hear of your concern for the plight of our people. While we are happy to discuss the future with you, know that we cannot - and must not - accept a future vision of Merina in which the tyrant Nguessa remains at large. He has killed too many, destroyed too much, for us to allow his crimes to go unpunished.

Dieu vous protège,

Marshal Diakame Bemba





Merinan Free State Communique

Salutations to my most dear fellows of the Council of Albion,

It gladdens me to read your words; the assistance rendered by the international community so often makes all the difference in times of crisis, and these times are, unfortunately, most definitely such. The Free State shall most gladly accept your invitation to attend these talks, and shall do so with the highest of hopes for a bright future.

Kindest regards,

Jacob Adelkune,
President of the Merinan Free State





Most Honourable Councilors,

The people of Pindar and Xhol have suffered more than most under the heel of Merinan oppression, in this war and many before it. While, naturally, we welcome your efforts to mediate in this situation, we must apply a cautionary note to the proceedings. We shall no longer accept to be held in thrall, either to the tyrant Nguessa, any other who may presume to rule from Katamba, nor by any other power elsewhere on Mundus, for that matter. While you may be assured that we shall approach these meetings in good faith, know that we would sooner fight to the last man, the last round, the last drop of blood before yielding even one inch of the homeland for which we have fought for so long already.

Humbly,

Prince Ike Ezana,
On behalf of the Grand Fedayeen Shura




Pain, Terre, Paix

Comrades of the noble Council of Albion,

I understand and applaud your efforts to make peace in our country, surely such a virtuous motion must be supported by all but the cruelest of heart. And I so support this effort, though I would caution you against placing too much faith in the words of the warlords; their greed truly knows no bounds, any one of them would see the last of our people burned to ash before relinquishing their grip on power. We shall attend your meeting, though we shall never give up the fight against the oppressors!

Power to the people!

Sony Muamba,
Chairman of the Soldiers' Council of the Merinan Peoples' Republic

Offline Libby

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2020, 06:57:36 PM »


PUBLIC STATEMENT

Following a meeting of the Council of Albion communication between the Council and the various factions embroiled in the Merina Civil War was authorised. The aim of this communication was to set in motion a process to end hostilities once and for all with no further loss of life. This would hopefully have involve a face to face conference in the Council's HQ attended by all Council members and representatives of the embattled factions. Out of the five factions corresponded with all have, with varying levels of eagerness, supported the talks. We would ask as a gesture of goodwill that all sides of this conflict cease hostilities while talks are on going thus giving them the best chance of being successful.

While these talks are on going all members of the Council of Albion shall deny all factions involved, if they have not done so already, any military arms or equipment as well as refusing to purchase goods or services from territory held by any faction. We would urge other nations across Mundus to support us in this stance. We are hopeful that a positive way forward can be found and look forward to meeting people at the COA HQ in Gaia shortly.

THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL OF ALBION.



OOC- I'll wait until Wednesday to start the thread for talks then it gives anyone who wishes to ask anything or make requests, comments etc a chance to do so before things go down. I've no concerns if you want to do that openly here as I'll start a new thread or on Discord via Roleplay channel or PM.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2020, 08:18:48 PM »


Commonwealth of Merina
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; General Communique


A Public Statement on the Gaia Talks

Let it be known,

As an act of goodwill towards our well-intentioned, if hopelessly naive, neighbors in the Council of Albion, the Merinan National Armed Forces announce a general pause on offensive operations to mark the start of talks to be held in Gaia, Lodja. This will come into effect within 48 hours[1], and shall be maintained at the discretion of the MNAF's commanders. While this is not a ceasefire - and we would like to emphasise that local commanders shall remain empowered to protect the territorial integrity of the Commonwealth and the safety of her citizens and soldiers - we do encourage the terrorist groups to commit to similar for the duration of these talks; we may be more inclined towards leniency if they lay down their arms of their own accords.

 1. OOC: Presume this is in effect by the time we start the talks, meant to post this earlier  :P

Offline Libby

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2020, 03:14:06 PM »


PRIVATE COMMUNICATION TO ALL FACTIONS, TAMORA and FLEUR

Since our statement regarding talks you will now doubt have seen indications by those outside of Albion regarding the situation in Tamora. As such we have received communication from both Tamora and Fleur requesting to be part of the talks. Following a discussion between the ambassadors to the Council we belive the best response from the Council is to state that we shall not stand in the way of them attending so long as those representing the Merinan factions do not object.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2020, 03:46:40 PM »


Commonwealth of Merina
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Private Communique


The Commonwealth has no objections to the aforementioned taking part in the talks; indeed, we rather welcome this development. It shall be heartening to have the reasonable voice of Tamora involved in the proceedings, and, furthermore, we ourselves have some pertinent questions with regards to the conduct of Fleur which we shall rather anticipate the opportunity to put before their government in an international forum.

((OOC Edit: None of the others have any objections, just I've no snarky responses for any of them. Happy to start whenever))
« Last Edit: June 08, 2020, 10:18:34 AM by Dijel »

Offline Libby

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2020, 01:24:41 PM »
The HQ building had been prepared and the meeting chamber had many extra places set to allow the various factions to be brought in and kept seperate. The meeting itself would be chaired by Princess Anfisa, she was a Lodjain royal by the fact her grand-mother had been Queen Sonja and under Lodjain law three generations of descendants of a Queen could use royal titles. She was Lodja's go to for being their representative at both the Council of Albion and the CNN and her role today was, at least in theory, a simple one. Keep the conversation going, allow all voices to be heard and stop a war, nothing could be simpler. Queen Klara had sent both her Minister of Defence, Lubos Kubik and her Lord of the Conclave, Besarian Ivanov to speak on her behalf if needed.

Once everyone had assembled and taken their seat Princess Anfisa began the proceedings. "We are gathered here today to try and find a route to end the ongoing civil war in Merina. We have already taken a small step towards that by all sides here today agreeing to a ceasefire. I would like to thank all of your for agreeing to that in order to give these talks a chance at creating a lasting peace. We can see from the situation in Merina that the nation is experiencing perhaps unprecidented divides between the ways forward the people of that nation want and need. If we are to bring about a lasting peace then we need to recognise that fact and understand that perhaps the only way for bloodshed to end is for us to appreciate Merina will have to experience change. I think perhaps then what we should start from is the end point, what do we hope to achieve. Once we have an agreement on that then we can work backwards to come to a path of how to get there. I believe the fairest solution for the Merinan people is for them to have had a process to establish the people themselves determing the path they want to take. This should be done perhaps by a three way referendum. The first choice to maintain the constitution[1] as it is, the second choice is to have all the parties from Merina here draft a new one and the third to reject choices one or two which would perhaps be a disaster. This is merely a starting point from where to begin and so I welcome the views of everyone around the table."
 1. or whatever they have in place of one

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2020, 06:07:35 PM »
Ife Atandje; Council of Albion Headquarters, Gaia, Lodja

The Commonwealth's representative at the talks was the slight and erudite Ife Atandje, the younger brother of the Merinan Foreign Service's director. A career diplomat, he'd been considered as close enough to the regime to be loyal above question, yet also insignificant enough to not signal over-interest in the talks. He also took some pride in his work; unusually, the endemic Merinan nepotism had, through total accident, gotten the man it needed in the right place at the right time. He'd taken his seat at the table without fuss, aloof of the venomous looks directed towards him from various quarters, and smiled curiously as the Princess opened the proceedings.

"First, if I may" Ife began, with totally unabashed and well-honed insincerity "May I extend thanks to our hosts for taking the initiative to host these talks; the Commonwealth has, and never had, a desire for bloodshed" This was met with a subdued chorus of muttering from around the table, and a shouted obscenity from one of the Pindari aides, who was quietly hushed by his colleges. Ife continued blithely "And, furthermore, are committed to holding fresh elections as soon as is safely practicable. That is our vision for the future of Merina; for Merinans, by Merinans, irrespective of the violent minority who would subvert our little country for their won ends"

"On the subject of" He continued, taking a small file from an aide, then casting a conspiratorial glance at the Merinan Peoples' Republic representative. That representative, the left-socialist leader Noah Tergat, was feeling rather out of his depth amongst such distinguished surroundings, and could only managed a perplexed frown in return "One of our company has already snubbed our valiant armed forces' operational pause" Ife raised the file, gesturing to the lurid red document, before dramatically tossing it into the middle of the table, where it came open, spreading photographs and papers about "No sooner had we arrived in Lodja, than this report from the front reached my team. It seems - and please feel free to examine the evidence for yourselves, though, I warn you, the dossier is rather... graphic - yes, it seems that the so-called 'Peoples' Army' have already launched a cowardly attack against against our positions in the vicinity of Makeni, in open contravention of the wishes of the Council"

Offline Libby

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2020, 06:59:36 PM »
It was something like this that Anfisa had been worried about and thankfully she knew that Besarian had been dispatched with a few trump cards up his sleeves. Thankfully the Lord of the Conclave spoke before she needed to. "I'd like to thank Mr.Atandje for flagging up a potential breach of this talks foundation. I hope he doesn't though find it too insulting when I say that I think that the Council will need to look into the validity of these claims, and that is something I would like to do as soon as possible." He took hold of the dossier and without looking at it handed it off to an aide before saying loud enough for everyone to hear, "Please can you ensure every person around this table gets a copy of this please" He then turned back to the delegates, "We shall also put in place other methods of investigation. With that in mind we will be formally requesting that the CNN's SuperEye satellite be tasked with examining the areas in question. That imagery will be made avaliable to all members of the Council of Albion once we have it." Besarain had been scribbling away while he had been talking and handed it to yet another aide. The CNN had already agreed that the satellite would be avaliable if needed and now it could be swung to cast a beedy eye on the area Atandje suggested had seen a ceasefire breech.

"While we await confirmation I'd ask if anyone else wishes to say anything." Anfisa hoped to move things back to while they were there.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2020, 11:54:00 PM »
Ife Atandje; Council of Albion Headquarters, Gaia, Lodja

Just as Ife had dropped the dossier on the table, he'd noticed the communist delegate make to speak up to denounce him, only to be pulled away by an aide. The pair had been deep in a hushed discussion as the Lord Besarain was speaking and, after a brief pause in the proceedings, Noah turned away from this, composing himself to address the group.

"Speaking on behalf of the People's Army of Merina" He clarified. Noah was a man of sharp features and piercing eyes, though at this moment he seemed ill at ease, like a man unsure of his footing "We contend that it has been the Merinan National Army which has been the aggressor. I apologise for not coming forewarned of this incident, though I assure you it is an emergent case, and our communications network is not optimized to support my team being here. Excuse me" Fortuitously, it was at this moment that a copy of Ife's report landed in Noah's lap. He took a few moments to glance through the document, before seizing upon something: "If my Lords were to examine the schematic on page two of this document, for example" He held up his own copy momentarily, indicating a satellite image showing the landscape southeast of Makeni, around the Kholda road. This had been annotated, with green markers given for the MNA, and red for the MPA "We can see quite clearly the gap between the National Army units either side of the road, such a gap to suggest that they do not - or did not - control the road corridor at the point this ceasefire came into effect. Therefore, I must insist that it is them who have broken the ceasefire in attempting to sever the Kholda highway and, thus, advance their encirclement of Makeni"

Noah sat back, already feeling exhaustion beginning to creep in. His spiel had not been entirely authoritative - his aide had apparently received word of the incident just as they'd been entering the chamber and, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone else, had elected to keep this to himself until after Ife had first spoken of it - though neither was it entirely a fabrication of the moment. The situation on the ground, he knew, had been complicated right up to the final hours and minutes before the ceasefire came into force, and in truth neither side had achieved a firm hold on the road corridor. The area also served as the final strand through which the city of Makeni could be resupplied from MPA territory and, if it were denied to them, the city would be cut off and effectively besieged.

Offline Libby

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2020, 10:33:56 AM »
OOC- I can only apologise Dijel. Last CoA meeting as such people said Lodja kind of monopolised it so I didn't want the same to happen.



Anfisa took over the conversation. "It is clear that various parties have perhaps poorly communicated the ceasefire arrangements to their subordinates." She glared at the various people gathered indicating that she clearly did not feel that way but was trying to defuse where this was heading. "With respect I'm no military expert so I'll be asking my Lodjain Intelligence colleagues to get back to me confirming what you said is accurate. To me a tank is a tank and a gun is a gun. That's the extent of my knowledge" She shrugged. "What I do know though is the CNN SuperEye satellite we are going to be getting images from, hopefully sooner rather than later, will be much more detailed than these." she held up a copy of the picture, "and will give us a great comparison of who is where and moving thanks to us being able to compare them to those we have been given. Might I therefore suggest a five minute pause for you to communicate once more that there should be a ceasefire in operation and then hopefully the SuperEye won't be picking up anything different to these images." With that she stood and left giving the various factions time to make any phone calls or send e-mails that they may need to.

With to the second timing she returned and sat back down calling the meeting to order once more hoping the brief pause would have served as a way of refocusing minds. "Now the issue Merina faces currently is that the membership of the Council, and several non-Albion parties of interest have looked for ways of bringing this conflict to an end. I therefore have a suggestion. Once we have the data from the SuperEye we map current positions of forces. Once this is done each side withdraw 2.5km from them giving a 5km buffer zone. The Council of Albion will provide a observation force to ensure no side encroaches on this. Consider it a DMZ. I would suggest we permit Tamora and Fleur to place officers within this Council of observation force, kind of observing the observers. This then gives time and space for us to look at how we create a scenario where bloodshed ends and no faction here believes that they have to take up arms to defend themselves. Would people be willing to work within this scenario?"

Offline Markus

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #11 on: July 02, 2020, 05:00:25 PM »
Alya Safavid, the Head of Tamoran Foreign Affairs, lead the Tamoran delegation. So far she and the rest of the delegation had not raise any objections allowing the hosts to present their case. While the Tamoran government did not favor the peace talks they felt it was necessary to give them a chance in the hopes that they might avoid a potential conflict with Soleimani so that placed them in a difficult position.



Alya Safavid looking at the representative of People's Army of Merina while he was explaining what happened

After the Fleur representative finished speaking, she addressed those present:

"I would like to begin by thanking the hosts and all those attending. Those who seek peace please divinity and by coming here today we all make a step towards peace.


The Tamoran government remains committed in its support for the government of Merina and would like to note that any attempt at peace should begin by acknowledging the fact that Merina has a government, a government that continues to provide protection and security to more than half of Merina's population*. While we can perhaps understand the other parties from Merina might have grievances, the fact remains that they are not the government of Merina and are obligated to follow the laws and arrangements established by the Merinan government. Taking up arms against the Merinan government is an unlawful act which Tamora strongly condemns. We also urge the members of the Council and the other sovereign parties present to consider carefully the implications of these talks. While we must strive for peace we must also consider that sending the message across Mundus that any party that feel it has grievances can just take up arms against its government and then be treated as an equal in future talks could have serious consequences for the security of Mundus. There are already several groups in various countries across Mundus that use violence against their government. We must be careful that our actions here today do not embolden them to continue their efforts in an attempt to obtain concessions from their governments.   


As to the current incident, the government of Merina has already shown great restraint and willingness to cooperate in the interest of peace and we are disappointed to see at least one party has taken advantage of that restraint. We feel that we would be imposing too much on the Merinan government by asking them to overlook this incident that is a clear violation of the agreed ceasefire.


As for the proposal that the Council send an observation force we strongly object. We see no reason why the Merinan government would agree to have those forces on its sovereign territory when it is not a member of the Council nor has the Council provided help to the government in its attempt to secure its territory. Furthermore, we see no guarantees that that force will leave immediately once the Merinan government has asked them to do so. “


*Confirmed with Dijel that more than half of the population of Merina is under the jurisdiction of the government of Merina.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2020, 11:19:06 AM »
Ife Atandje; Council of Albion Headquarters, Gaia, Lodja

Ife sat back for a moment while the foreigners spoke their parts, nodding and smiling appreciatively as the Tamoran fought his corner. The pause gave him some time to observe the other Merinan delegations; he wasn't too worried as to what the Merinan National Army might have been up to, the commanders at the front were under strict instructions to hold back with their heavy equipment, and in that sector would be quite likely to have their air identification panels deployed to demark their forward positions. He knew better than the Communists seemed to that no one was truly master of the Makeni highway, and that these were running battles being fought by small units of light infantry, both sides seeking to probe and provoke, but neither willing to risk overt disregard for the Council's peace initiative.

The Merinan People's Army team were already in hushed disarray, that much was clear, even to those unfamiliar with the Biathalan-french dialect in which the group were presently berating each other. The man in nominal charge of the group - Noah Tergat - seemed quite unfamiliar with his subordinates, and they in turn seemed to bridle at his efforts to regain control of the situation. Someone was quite likely to get themselves executed for this, Ife considered with detachment, when the group reported back to Muemba and his cronies. But maybe that was the point. Maybe.

The others all appeared rather more composed: the NLA team presenting a wall of green in their best dress uniforms, the Pindaris poker-faced behind their beards and checkerboard headdresses, while the Free State men - and some women, Ife noted, unlike either the NLA or Pindari contingents - appeared rather more at ease in their kippahs and business suits. The last was strange, Ife mused. While Donze was fairly famous for its Jewish community and heritage, he'd never known the Free State to emphasize this aspect quite so much. Not that he could blame them, the religious persecution card could be a powerful tool to influence the soft, vein royal houses of Albion. He'd have done much the same in their position.

With the pause over, he listened again as Anfisa made her second point, and that exchange was had. He nodded in thanks towards Alya and the Tamoran delegation before speaking himself:

"Thank you, madame Safavid" He began "For your support, and thank you all for your suggestions. I must, however, declare that the Commonwealth shall not countenance any withdrawal of our security forces back from their present positions; we shall not accept any risk that more of our people shall lose their lives and livelihoods to these violent extremists. We would, however, be prepared to consider the deployment of a neutral observer force to oversee the disarmament and disbandment of these forces in the territory which they presently occupy. If those opposite me would be willing to commit to laying down their arms and forswear further violence, perhaps we may speak more amicably. We may even be willing to consider amnesty for some" He shifted his gaze to the hapless Tergat and the MPA team, his tone suddenly solemn "Though, I must add, there are some crimes which cannot go unpunished"

No sooner had Ife finished than the Pindari leader spoke up, his voice deep and booming, though hardly raised. He was a big, barrel-chested bear of a man in - at a guess - his early forties, long black hair just edging to grey tied in a thick braid that hung down just below his broad shoulders. He was gripping the table edge hard with a right hand heavily set with thick gold rings, while his left was a steel claw, which he banged on the table to emphasize his points.

"The cheek of this man" He boomed "I am the Eorl Aliku Belawi, and I say that not one inch of Pindari soil shall be yielded to these people. Not one step back shall we take; come all the world in arms, and we shall fight until the last son of Pindar has joined the ranks of the Einherjar!" The other Pindaris murmured in approval at this bombast, though Ife suspected the Eorl to be more wily than he appeared in his deployment of religous conjecture "We shall not yield" He continued calmly, after a momentary pause "Not to you, not to any foreigner, and we shall certainly not lay down our arms. I have fought all my life for a free Pindar. My father died fighting for our freedom, as did his father before him. By what right" He gazed around the table now, challenging anyone to meet his gaze "By what right would anyone here presume to command my people to lay down their arms? Our stance is thus; you may either recognize the independence of my people, or stand aside. There can be no compromise in this. You may take our lives, but you will never take our freedom!"



((OOC: No need to apologise Libby, appreciate y'all sticking with me this long))

Offline RobertAgira

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #13 on: July 12, 2020, 05:59:05 PM »
William Lynwood was representing the Bakkermayans. "I think that Merina have been helped by the Council of Albion already. We have put in place a ban on sales of arms or equipment to the people that they face. Seeing as the current regime in Merina have access to equipment from Tamora and already a large stockpile this clearly puts them at an advantage. Beside should they have believed there was problem requiring outside help they could easily have spoken to us and sought either help in terms of military backing or perhaps even political backing. Aosta for example are not members of this Council and have made statements regarding stopping of vessels and aircraft from outside reaching Merina. What sparked Bakkermaya to get involved in this process is that we are now reaching a point where this war has raged on for a significant time and we are seeing it escalating in terms of the loss of life inflicted upon innocent civilians. That is something we believe must force action. Now around this table we have a large number of parties, most from Albion. The only ones not actually taking a side are the members of the Council. Our resolutions take effect on all of you from Merina equally. Meanwhile unlike Tamora or Fleur we have not given equipment or aid to either side nor fired any shots in anger at anyone. If we're looking for a neutral observer force then the conditions for deploying it must be right. It is a task that is always going to carry some danger however to make it work requires a space for them to do their work in. This is achieved by one of two things happening. The first is an agreement being reached where people put down their weapons. At present that is achieved only if some manner of change is seen in Merina. The second is if both sides maintain the ceasefire and create a space for them to work in.  Eorl Aliku has alread seen three generations of brave hearted (couldn't resist) men from his family take up arms. The question must be asked while he claims about no compromise there must be some somewhere sooner or later or his people will have no future as they'll be constantly in a state of war. Meanwhile Mr.Atandje must recognise that perhaps decades of guerilla warfare, terrorism, insurgents and various other methods will simply just weaken his nation and make them more and more reliant on support of outside nations, be that through an organisation such as this, a treaty with Tamora or whichever avenue they wish to persue within their rights as a nation. It though is very hard to negotiate such agreements while your nation is in pieces. So far all I am hearing is demands crossing the table. None of you are getting exactly what you want. So the choice seems to be, do you all continue killing each other and the longer the killing goes on for the less valuable the prize becomes, or do you seek to find a path that means your children aren't back here in twenty years time with countless more dead in the grave."

He paused for a moment, "Let me propose a slightly different way of completing what Princess Anfisa discusses. The first is that all sides retain their positions they occupy. I believe the biggest concern will likely be if you pull back what if the other guy doesn't. We will once we have independent data indentify a series of key positions, an equal number for each section of front. So for example lets say where the NLA and MPA sides are facing off we identify ten key positions, five on each side. The NLA and MPA hold those until such a time as a peacekeeping force made up of the neutral nations of the Council of Albion arrive. Once all ten positions have been occupied by peacekeepers the NLA and MPA forces withdraw 2km. That creates a 4km wide buffer for peacekeepers to monitor but means the opposition do not have a chance to renage on the agreement and take advantage of the others good will. Is this perhaps more acceptable than a blanket pull back?"
« Last Edit: July 12, 2020, 06:10:35 PM by RobertAgira »

Offline RobertAgira

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2020, 10:29:58 PM »
"But Mr.Debeauson, no one compared aid and military action to each other, merely stated that your nation is already involved in the territories being disputed. Or have we been misinformed?" Lynwood began. " Albion represents a wide range of different types of government, Bakkermaya has elected assemblies that produce legistaltion, Lodja has direct monarchy rule, Runavik, though not a member of this assembly has a jury type service form of democracy, Nya Aland has regular elections, Tytor has a Parliamentary democracy. Perhaps then bringing up your filtered perception of how nations operate isn't relevant to this discussion we are focusing on helping the people of Merina work out how to end a war and for that at some point a neutral nation is going to be needed. Seeing you are here by essentially blackmailing your way into the room by saying you would supply the National Army of Liberation of Merina with weapons unless given a seat you have therefore forgone the ability to claim to be neutral. You can not put forces in place alongside a neutral peacekeeping force having offered weapons to one of the sides involved in the conflict. Now seeing as we are here to discuss things with the people of Merina regarding what will happen in their nation I would be interested to hear whether they accept the idea I put forward."

Offline Markus

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2020, 06:10:34 PM »
After the representative of Fleur finished, Alya stated addressing William Lynwood:

“I will like to make some corrections regarding some statements that were made.

First, Your Highness, it is not the “current regime” but the government of Merina we are talking about. I fail to see how banning the sale of arms to the government of Merina while they are engaged in fighting an insurrection is helping Merina and its people. To give you a better idea, I am sure your government is not considering banning the sale of arms to the Kingdom of East Moreland in an attempt to be neutral towards the “current regime” in East Moreland and the Borlanders it had been fighting for centuries, a conflict which continues to take many lives to this day.

Second, I am disappointed Your Highness would accuse another member present of blackmail when, just as Mr.Debeauson has pointed out, the Council of Albion has resorted to statements that could be interpreted as threats if the government of Merina did not attend the talks.  I believe an apology to Mr.Debeauson would be in order.

Thirdly, I am even more disappointed that Your Highness would say that “all I am hearing is demands crossing the table” when the Merinan government has already offered concessions by showing its intentions to offer amnesty to some of the individuals that have taken arms against them provided they lay down their weapons first, of course.

Your Highness, I believe that if we want the talks to have a chance to be successful we must not resort to statements that are clearly meant to offend other members present and we must acknowledge what the Merinan representatives are saying. “

Offline Tytor

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #16 on: July 13, 2020, 07:53:49 PM »
"Begging your pardon, ma'am," Thomas Sandrock, the Tytorian representative to the Council of Albion, said, "But at the moment this situation is far from the one-sided government-versus-rebels thing you seem to want it to be.  Your very presence here is evidence of that.  I remind you that due to the nature of the conflict, if any faction had objected to your attendance here you would have been excluded.  Now, I agree that the term 'current regime' was poorly chosen, but a comparison between this fight and the Borlander issue is misleading at best.  Rather, a better, if less chaotic, comparison would be with the situation in Kaitaine, which, like Merina, involves multiple factions claiming to be the nation's government, and each of which enjoys some international recognition.  As the Merinans themselves have yet to successfully determine which if any of the factions assembled here today is the legal government of their country, I suggest that we refer here to the faction led by President Nguessa as the Nguessa government, or the Nguessa regime.  Choosing one of the factions here to label as the government is beyond the purview of these talks and would be detrimental to the peace process."

Sandrock turned his attention now to the assembled representatives in general.  "Laying aside issues of terminology," he said, giving significant looks to the Tamoran and Fleuroix delegations, "We need to come to a compromise.  What my esteemed colleague from Bakkermaya has proposed is, I think, a good start.  I believe I speak on behalf of the entire Council of Albion when I say that the Council is open to the idea of providing peacekeeping forces while the specifics of a universal peace deal are hammered out.  If that is objectionable to any of the Merinan factions, for any reason, adjustments can be made, up to and including assembling a peacekeeping force provided by other neutral nations.  Let's start with the most pressing matter at hand; we can argue over semantics later."
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Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #17 on: July 14, 2020, 11:45:55 AM »
Ife Atandje; Council of Albion Headquarters, Gaia, Lodja

Ife stifled a smirk at the little exchange between the foreigners, dutifully jotting down a couple of notes as he digested Lynwood's proposition and composed his own response. Between the Fleuroix prickliness and Tytorian presumption, these foreigners were hardly the formidable opponents his brother had warned him about, though this Bakkeryaman Duke - seemingly in concert with his Heliusan compatriot, the Lord Berisov - did seem quite set on getting their armies into Merina. It was rather fortunate that none of the other Merinans around the table seemed any keener on the proposition that he did, though perhaps it was those Merinans not around the table that ought to be troubling him.

In any event, he elected to speak for himself, tactfully skipping over the little spat:

"With regards to Duke Lynwood's proposition" He began, careful to keep his expression neutral "While we appreciate the indication that we may yet be able to come to a mutually acceptable compromise, alas, this is not so. I cannot countenance any such withdrawal of the Merinan security forces. We have fought, and fought hard, to secure the future of our country against the excesses of these terrorists, and it would be unthinkable to surrender any number of kilometres of liberated Merinan soil at this juncture. While we are concerned that, with each passing day and week of this ceasefire, violent extremism has further opportunity has further opportunity to embed itself in those areas of our nation remaining under terrorist occupation, we remain hopeful that the best interests of the Merinan people are truly in the hearts of all we privileged few who walk these hallowed halls"

"Therefore" He continued, allowing himself a meek smile "I would like to suggest the following compromise: observer teams - of a composition which is found acceptable by those represented here - will be attached to our Security Forces at the front, and given unobstructed access to the present ceasefire line. Similar teams can be dispatched to those areas currently under occupation to oversee the peaceable disarmament of these extremists - and I have confidence it may be peaceable, once suitable guarantees have been made here - with a view to discerning weather or not the remaining populations in these occupied areas do, once the threat of terrorist violence is removed, indeed desire to be liberated, or not, whichever the case may be"

"In return" He added, despite the rising feeling that he was pushing his luck here "I would like to see the present blockading force, the mighty fleet presently sitting off our coast, withdrawn. Weather or not it is intended, there is a threat implicit in the existence of such a force, and we believe the removal of such a threat would be conducive to a peaceful outcome. As a gesture of goodwill, we are willing to facilitate your bar on new imports of weaponry with joint inspections teams - of a similar composition to those attached to frontline units - being established to monitor shipping at Merina's deep-water ports, namely: Kankato, Qarkhoi and Donze"

There was an element of theater in all this. Ife had not, per se, gone out of his way to either shock or offend, though neither had he precisely expected such a proposition to be accepted without fuss. It was a measured withdrawal from his previous position, and one couched in language he hoped would appeal to the Council. The other Merinans around the table were no more pleasured to be described as 'terrorists' or extremists' as Ife was to be labeled as 'the regime', though while he possessed the diplomatic bearing to gloss over such clear and obvious bate, some others were not.

"Preposterous" The Eorl Belawi spat, quietly at first, his voice rising as he spoke "Preposterous! Extreme, the very cheek of it. Is it extreme for a man to live on his land - the land of his forefathers, and the land he'd pass to his own wee bairns, if he's so lucky - in peace? Are ye terrorized by me!? Good, you'd better be" That was aimed squarely at Ife, though the bombastic Eorl now shifted to address the Bakkeryaman Duke "When I wae a lad, my told me, he said 'son, aye, if ye fight ye may die, and them that run may live... at least a while. Death comes to us all. Every man dies, but how many take their place in the Valhöll as a man who has truly lived?' A grim man he was, aye, but true nonetheless"

"So listen this to me" He directed his ire back towards Ife, who remained impassive "There is a difference between us, aye there is. You think the people of your country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. So, listen here lad, I've a proposition of my own for ye. Have ye armies strike their colours and fuck off straight back to Merina, stopping at every Pindari home the' pass on the way te beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape and murde'. Do it, and ye men may live. Do it nae, and ye'll find nae peace in our hills. And maybe then we'll give ye reasons enough tae be terrified of us"

Between the wild eyes, the white-knuckled grip with which his good hand held the big oak table, and the fact that the point of his hook had embedded itself deeply into the hardwood surface, the Eorl made quite the impression. As he tore the tip irritably free, dislodging a chunk of timber in the process, the room erupted as the various Merinan delegations each attempted to talk over themselves, each other, and the assembled delegates.

"A peaceful Pindari?" The National Liberation Army's lead negotiator, Colonel Valentin Bemba, was heard to quip to a college "Didn't know they made them like that?"

"... two kilometres?" The exasperated voice of Noah Tergat emerged from the din "How are we to do that? The perimeter in Qarkhoi isn't that deep... not all the way round...?"

"...he's got a point about their fleet... don't give me that, what exactly do you think they'll do with it?..."

"Tamoran... slavers"

"...don't get me started on those bloody imperialist Tytorians..."

"At least Rokkenjima isn't involved... yet..."

"Shh"

"...don't you shush me..."

"Who does he think he is?"

"...thin end of the wedge..."

"...cochons anglais!"

"Shh!"

"Merde..."

Eventually, the little outburst did abate, and the room began to fall quiet again. Looking slightly abashed, despite his team having mostly stayed aloof of the worst of the tirade, Ife glanced to Lynwood, then to Alya, then finally to the Lodjan group, hoping someone had remembered his argument, or would at least seek to move the conversation forward.

Offline KrisNord

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #18 on: July 15, 2020, 09:16:33 PM »
Up until this point the Ålanders had remained observers but now Minister of Defence Martja Larsson and her junior Minister Pontus Rochek felt they had to speak up.

"If we may." Martja stood. "I undertsand Mr.Ife Atandje is speaking like the patriot he feels he needs to be for his nation. Merina however stands on the edge of darkness. While I can fully understand his concerns about giving up positions he is not likely to get anything from the opposition unless he is willing to give something himself. So far we have people talking about observers and peacekeepers. The problem is only one of those actually brings an end to conflict. Meanwhile we have Fleur wanting to watch the watchers as though there is some conspiracy theory that this Council seek to favour one side or the other. Meanwhile the blockade Mr.Atandje wants lifting is one that while perhaps being a thorn in his side is also stopping those he sees as his enemies getting weapons and ammunition. What I would suggest is one of two things happen. The first is that the blockade remains or the Commonwealth agree that any ship trying to enter their EEZ is liable to stop and must comply with the Council of Albion fleet. Any carrying weapons will have those seized, anything else on board then can pass. This will mean that your nation can continue getting supplies such as food, medicine, etc. It will also ensure that their is no chain reaction with all sides escalating the situation with heavier and heavier weaponary. We have already seen signs that chemical weapons have been used at some point in the conflict and who knows what payback may take place if things continue."

Pontus took over. "Bringing things back to the peacekeeper or observation question if I may suggest why the peacekeeper factor is a neccessity. You see once upon a time myself and Martja here, we were soldiers and we know first hand that all it would take is one maverick on the ground to determine they wanted to break the ceasefire and a team of observers who are unarmed are suddenly finding themselves being held for ransom or worse. At least with a peacekeeping force of armed but neutral troops those peacekeepers can take action if need be to defend themselves and keep the territorial integrity of the ceasefire lines. There needs to be a way forward that recognises that from around this table only the members of the Council of Albion have not come out in support of any side other than the side of peace. Yes some of the words that we have had to use to bring you around this table are able to be interpreted as aggressive, but they were equally aggressive to each of you. One concern with any outside intervention is what happens once the fighting stops, people have voiced the concern that perhaps the Council will not leave. Well as we look at the council members here not a single one has over-stayed their welcome once a military operation has ended. We found ourselves not too long ago relying on the military of foreign nations to bail us out of a natural disaster. Lodja was one of them and they could have very easily stayed and occupied our land when we were at our weakest, yet they didn't and when we asked them to go they went. Our own military helped the people of Marseille claim their freedom from that psychotic witch of a Duchess and her soriority who sacrificed people to some blood father or something. When the people of Marseille asked us to leave, we left. I see no reason why Merina would be any different. If you want peace for you children, for your wives then you must somehow find a way of allowing talks to continue with a ceasefire that holds and that requires a peacekeeping force. We need to find a way to allow this ceasefire to hold so that the nation has a peaceful backdrop as we move towards a working and permanent solution. After all that is what women want in Merina, a peaceful nation for their families to prosper. That is what you must create here today."

 

Offline Paracambi

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #19 on: July 16, 2020, 10:58:38 AM »
"If we are having a problem with the various Merinan groups accepting the CoA as observers, or their friends." Roger Hastings the Paracambian representative began. "I suggest we perhaps look for nations that may fill the void, we have seen for example Aosta declare to purely take action defending their own territory from incursions otherwise they have taken no stance on the crisis. Perhaps they are a nation we should look at in terms of them taking on the peacekeeping role, I can think perhaps of other nations such as those who are members of SANE or even someone like Hassfurt who has so far shunned any international organisation yet has promised to honour the Uppsala Convention." 

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #20 on: July 16, 2020, 04:58:12 PM »
Ife Atandje; Council of Albion Headquarters, Gaia, Lodja

Ife sighed internally. The feeling in the room, it seemed, was that foreign peacekeepers would be coming, the question was more of who, how, and when. To refute point-blank would be to risk disaster, yet to accept would, almost certainly, be to play into the exiles' hands. But how to repulse this latest onslaught? Perhaps it would be better that no decision were made... and how long until the pugnacious Pindari had burned all his bridges? Better, he thought to himself as the Fleuroix traded yet another round of jabs with the Council, to box clever, play not to win, but to simply not lose, and wait for his opening.

"Addressing these points, one at a time" He took a deep breath, before continuing "With regards to the blockading force, perhaps you may forgive my prickliness on the subject, though not so long ago a MNN destroyer was lost to hostile action in the area, and the perpetrators have never been positively identified. Certainly, such an attack was far beyond the capability of any domestic insurgent group, and the suspicion of our intelligence services is that a hostile state actor was involved. Now, and please do not take this to be an accusation, the presence of an unfriendly battlefleet off our shores has caused a degree of unease, especially so in light of the loss of the Chiwara. In terms of my previous proposition for the withdrawal of this fleet - the placement of Council inspection teams ashore at Merina's three deep-water ports - is there a specific element of this which would be objectionable to this Council? If I may forestall these for a moment, perhaps an amended scheme, perhaps involving Council attaches aboard MNN vessels, would be more palpable?"

"Secondly" He continued, after a brief pause to recompose himself "In terms of observation and/or 'peacekeeping' forces, I would like to politely disagree the the honourable Madame Larsson. Neither observers, nor peacekeepers, can bring an end to conflict, in and of themselves, in my opinion. Neutral observers, under the protection of the Merinan security forces, would be quite safe, and equally capable of monitoring the terms of any agreement which may be reached as would formed units of third-party troops. What action would you suggest these armed soldiers take, should any terms be contravened? Lay waste to all and sundry? There is a saying, among the mountain people of Qast: 'force, no matter how well concealed, begets resistance'. Unarmed observers are far less incendiary. We would be willing to consider a Fleuroix contribution to a multi-national observer force, for example, while admitting an armed force of Fleuroix soldiers would be unthinkable to us"

For his part, the Pindari Eorl was uninterested in talk of blockade, nor of the distinction between observer and peacekeeper. Belawi prided himself as a man of simplicity. An armed man was a friend or an enemy, and an armed man who claimed to be neither was the worst of all. This he kept to himself, quite certain that he had made himself quite clear previously. He could not, however, resist passing quiet comment to those around him at the Ålander Junior Minister's assertion that peace was 'what the women want'.

"Wee lad's never met a Pindari woman" He chuckled to the men around him, the group of Pindaris chuckling like schoolgirls behind their beards "Poor bairn would nae last ae minute with ae real woman"

Fortunately for all involved, the Eorl was for once tactful enough to keep this fairly quiet, and the barb was soon wrapped up as aim was taken at Ife from across the table.

Valentin Bemba, the National Liberation Army's head negotiator at these talks, had been fairly quiet up to now, content to allow Ife and his team to trade blows with the various council members. As the nephew of the NLA's self-styled CO, Valentin had most certainly benefited from a good dose of traditional Merinan nepotism in his career, though unlike many in similar positions, he took a little pride in his own abilities. The older Bemba would not be useful forever, after all. Now, preceded by a polite little cough, he spoke up for himself.

"And who are you, Mister Atandje" He put in courteously, though with more than a little force to it "To say what should, and should not, be? Your master is a murderer. A wretched criminal, the hangman's noose would be too good for him! He has gotten away with this for too many years, to my eternal shame, but an oath I swore - to my uncle and the people of Merina - that I would not rest until the monster is brought to justice. Peacekeeper or observer, Council or otherwise, is of little consequence if justice is not done. The National Liberation Army would lay down its arms tomorrow if you could promise us the peace and justice we need"

Offline Libby

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #21 on: July 29, 2020, 08:52:11 PM »
"In regards to the naval aspect. I would concede to their being Marines from CoA nations in these ports on condition that nothing leaves any ship until a ranking officer of these Marine units authorises it. This way we can be confident of having scrutiny on what is being moved. Additionally if we perhaps say no ship displacing more than 4,000 tons can intercept ships for inspection it should put worries about attacks to be less. In terms of whatever you wish to call them, observers, peacekeepers or the like there is a need for them to be there in some capacity. My concern is we have already seen cases were one side may have breached a ceasefire and there have been moments where we have seen potential breaches of the Uppsala Convention concerning chemical weapons. We need to make sure that we can if such matters happen have our people able to protect themselves. Therefore Lodja would agree to observers with forces on condition that we are permitted to put, without hinderance, and alongside other nations providing observers a vessel off the coast in order to allow us to extract people should something happen."

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #22 on: July 31, 2020, 05:10:54 PM »
Ife Atandje; Council of Albion Headquarters, Gaia, Lodja

Ife suppressed a smile; the Lodjan had brushed over the rebel's jab and now he had something concrete to take home with him. The withdrawal of the Council's battlefleet, weather or not a light ship or two remained, would be seen as a major coup for Nigyia, the Merinan lion turning away the might of foreign warlords with his roar. The Free State team remained impassive, though he could see the embattled Noah Tergat again embroiled in urgent conversation with his team. He'd drawn blood there already, and more would surely come.

"I do believe, Madame Anfisa" He responded, every inch the very picture of politeness and dignity "That we are making progress" He allowed himself a brief, modest smile before continuing "In return for the withdrawal of the withdrawal of the Council's fleets to their respective home-ports, the inspection regimen shall be taken up by small teams ashore in each of Merina's deep-water ports, with, sall we say, one Council vessel displacing no more than four-thousand tonnes to be deployed to each of these to both assist with inspections and, if you desire, provide a measure of insurance for your personnel operating ashore?"

"With regards to your observers" He continued, adopting a more explanatory tone "I am afraid I must insist upon my previous position, the deployment of formed companies of foreign troops to the Merina is not something which I am permitted to sanction here. Your observers will be quite safe under the protection of our security forces, though I quite understand if you may hesitate to make similar attachments to some of these others around the table today"

Rather unexpectedly - at least it was so for Ife - the next voice to speak around the table was that of Theodor Tamrat, the Free State diplomat with a slight figure and neat, close-trimmed beard.

"If I may" He began, unconsciously adjusting his prayer cap with his left hand "We find it rather presumptive of Mister Atandje to make such an offer with regards to port inspections, considering that his master's men control, at present, only one of Merina's major ports. The commercial port at Kankato, such that it is, may be in Nguessa's hands, true enough, but the larger harbour at Donze most surely is not. And of the docks at Qarkhoi, if any of these remains passable, there are two sets: one to the north, in the Rhonar estuary, and one to the south, on the Khunene. According to our best information" He shot Ife a searching look at this point, which was replied disdainfully "Those in the south may be contested, but those in the north are far beyond the reach of Nguessa's soldiers. Would such an assertion be, in your view, correct, Mister Atandje?"

"Terrorist activity in the city of Qarkhoi" Ife clarified, raising an eyebrow "Is, at present, largely confined to the northern and western quarters. The Khunene river docks are quite secure, and have recently resumed limited operation as part of our relief efforts in the area"

"Thank-you" Theodor smiled a thin smile, noting this down quickly before continuing "Now, as it happens, the Free State shall be quite willing to accommodate an inspection team in Donze, and, if we must, a small warship to assist them in their work for the short-term. Council observers will be quite safe if you are content to post them with Free State Forces, also"

"It is with regards to the powers vested in these inspected" He added, directing this back towards the wider Council "I would like to see a check against these. The Free State is rather reliant upon supplies of food and other goods by sea and, as such, are rather sensitive to any disruptions to this. We would like to see it stipulated that inspections be made within a limited time of a ship coming into port - say, twenty-four hours - else unloading will go ahead regardless. This would give plenty of time for your inspectors to satisfy themselves, while also providing a greater certainty of supply for our people, if you would consider such a proposition acceptable?"

Offline Libby

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #23 on: August 15, 2020, 09:51:56 PM »
The Lodjian Minister of Defence Lubos Kubik took up the discussion.

"What I suggest then are the following (OOC-Done as a list to make it easy)

1 - The Council of Albion fleets remain in international waters with the exception of two ships with a tonnage less than 4,000 tons per port.

2 - Each port capable of landing cargo is to host a team of Council of Albion inspectors. No limit to number of inspectors may be set as this number shall be determined by the following

i) Number of vessels docking in that port
ii) the size of vessels docking in that port
iii) the types of vessel docking in that port.

A large number of inspectors may be neccessary to meet the criteria requested by the free state of speedy inspections particularly on perishable goods.

3- Each Council of Albion nation to embed with each force within the conflict observers.

4- Overflights permitted by photographic equipped aircraft.

5 - Right of unarmed Council of Albion vessels, or those appointed by the Council, to dock in order to remove civilians from their own nation caught in Merina.

6- All forces to maintain current positions and a ceasefire to be in place until ?????? (6 months). During this time discussions to be held to bring about a permanent end to the conflict.

"I wonder if we have a programme on the table acceptable to everyone around the table."

Offline Dijel

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Re: Council of Albion - Message to Merina
« Reply #24 on: October 17, 2020, 11:07:05 PM »
((OOC: Apologies all for my inactivity over the last, like, 2 months  :o))

Ife Atandje; Council of Albion Headquarters, Gaia, Lodja

Ife was tired. The meeting was beginning to drag, and a glance around the table showed him that he was far from alone in his weariness. With a quiet sigh to himself, he considered the Lodjian's suggestions. To accept these terms as they were would, on balance, be the most prudent course of action now. Certainly, they were not likely to get a better offer, and, in six months time, the Merinan army could be strengthened, while the opposition might wither on the vine, cut off from their supporters abroad. They might decline, or else try to circumvent the agreement, though exposing this would buy Nigyia some much-needed political capital abroad, should it come to that.

He sipped at his glass of water thoughtfully.

"My Lord Kubik" He nodded, at length "On behalf of the Commonwealth of Merina, we find your terms agreeable, and are prepared to extend the present ceasefire in line with this programme" He cast about the table, eyeing up each of the other Merinan teams in turn, before continuing "Gentlemen, the Commonwealth offers you the olive branch. Will you take it up on these terms?"

Looks were exchanged around the table, and teams spoke softly in the background, as each sought to weigh up their options. To decline, naturally, would be to draw the ire of the Council, those commanding armies quite capable of being the kingmakers in the conflict, though to accept would be to grasp a poisoned flower. Nguessa's deals were notoriously fickle.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Free State team were the first to compose themselves, and the neat figure of Theodor once again took the stage.

"On behalf of the Free State" He looked Ife squarely in the eyes as he spoke "I accept your terms. Let this day mark the ending of Merina's suffering. Toda raba"

Close on his heels was the National Liberation Army man, Colonel Valentin Bemba. He sat back, cutting a pugnacious figure in his fatigues and beret, and though his words were conciliatory, little of his earlier steel had been lost from their tone. He shot a quick sideways glance at the Lodjians before speaking.

"The National Liberation Army is satisfied that the honourable members of this council shall see the peace and justice which the Merinan people so crave realised" He smiled with his lips, though conspicuously not with his eyes "We find these terms agreeable, and shall stand by them so long as Nguessa's soldiers do likewise"

Seeing the way the wind was blowing, Noah Tergat, after sharing an unhappy glance with his team, added his voice to the clamor of assent.

"The Merinan People's Army accept Mister Kubik's proposal" He nodded solemnly, before adding to the Lodjian team "We place ourselves at your mercy, my Lords and Ladies. Rarely have a been a one for praying, but I am praying now. That you see Nguessa for what he is. That you deliver the Merinan people from our bonds. That your hearts are truly as pure as your words, I pray, for I can do no more"

With this endorsement, all eyes now fell upon the Pindari team, who had been conspicuously quiet thus far. Hushed words exchanged in their own language, suspicious glances, and shaking heads. At length, the Eorl rose, stiffly, to his feet, placing his one good hand and one claw on the polished tabletop. As one man, one beard, his team stood behind him, summoning their last reserves of poise and dignity to present a united front.

"The Fedayeen, Sir" Aliku Belawi growled, his deep voice quiet, yet somehow resonating around the room with the gravity of his words "Dae nae accept. Nae have we any further interest in exchanging pretty words wae the likes o' Ife Atendjie" He spat the name with real venom, as if merely uttering it left a bitter taste in his mouth "Th' bastard Nguessa ae a tyrant ae a monster, ae nae a single yard of Pindari soil will we yield tae him. If we must fight tae gain our freedom, then fight we will. I hae spoken, and what hae been said cannae be unsaid. Our ceasefire ae at an end, Mister Atendje. May ye soft lowlander god hae mercy on ye black soul, fae I shall not; out ae respect for our hosts I have stayed my hand here, pray ye tha' we dannae meet again, lad, fae if we do, I'll kill ye where ye stand"

Shifting his attention back to their hosts, Belawi continued, his tone softening only slightly: "I hae nae quarrel wae ye. If ye see these devils true as they ae, yae would be welcome to fight alongside me as kin. If ye ae devils yaeselves, come not tae the hills and valleys ae Pindar, fae in that land live the brave Fedayeen, and we shall nae surrender wae is ours"

With that, the Pindaris turned on their heels and, in impressive unison, walked calmly from the chamber.

In the succeeding lull, punctuated only by the retreating click-clack of Pindari shoes on the hard floor, Ife quickly gathered his thoughts.

"My Lords and Ladies" He spoke up again, addressing the remaining assembly "Our terms to each of you remain unchanged, yet clearly we cannot allow the threat from these Pindari rogues go unchecked. We shall have peace in Merina, I am confident, though for some the fight must, alas, continue a little longer"