OOC- Hope you don't mind I didn't put a RSVP in.

It had been some time since Queen Atalanta had visited another nation and the prospect of visiting what was perhaps one of the smallest nations on Mundus was interesting. Not wanting to travel alone the Queen had opted to travel with her favourite young cousin Lady Filippa. The young girl should have, as far as Atalanta was concerned, be a Princess but Cassiopeian tradition dictated that royals must at least be capable of military service and with her eye sight progressively failing that was impossible. Atalanta though was determined to make the young girl an example of service and dedication to the Realm and if possible the Queen could convince the Oracle to consider service to the nation as equal to military service.

Filippa was excited to be attending. It was rare she got to attend events such as this and on the flight over her guide dog Kipar sat snoozing under her feet rousing only a few times to go and drink some water and accept the occasional snack offered by Filippa. Upon arrival the royal plane taxied alongside the East Moreland one and having exited the aircraft just as King David exited the airfield Atalanta joined arms with her cousin and between her and Kipar they descended the steps and stood smiling while the children sang. Atalanta nodded her thanks to the children before making her way to the waiting vehicle.

Upon arrival at the castle it was a much more compact venue than her own sprawled complex and connected temples. The Queen sometimes worried the sheer size of the Queen's complex was impresonal and she suspected if he resided her the new King would easily get to know all his staff and servents, a much more personal affair. She took her seat near the Morelanders and wondered if perhaps having the dog there they had broken some unwritten ettiquete. She waited for the General to answer King David's question keen to hear the answer herself. She then checked whether Kipar would be OK tucked away under Filippa's seat.

It is my intention to have a delegation from our nation attend. More details shall follow.

Over the last three days Her Majesty Queen Atalanta has been visiting the Allied States of Ardia on an official state visit. The Queen spent time meeting with Praetor Julius Devaux and various representatives of their government as well as visiting various individuals who supported the Realms citizens who fled to the Allied States following the military junta seizing power in 2007. The Queen also meet with several individuals who had fled during the occupation and since stayed in the Allied States, in some cases having married and settled down in the nearby nation. The Queen and Praetor concluded a few agreements the most significant of which was an agreement on extraditions between the two nations. It has been agreed that criminals accused of crimes carrying more than 24 months in prison shall be extradited so long as three criteria are complied with. The first criteria is that a judge in the nation from which extradition is requested is presented with a summary of charges and reasons for suspicion, once reassured a pathway to extradition can begin. The next hurdle is that all trials must be help in public and finally that no evidence gained by the use of torture may be used in court. The Queen pushed for this agreement as at present a list of around 160 members of the Junta are unaccounted for and should they be placed on trial it is likely any punishment would be well in excess of the minimum required for this agreement. Under Cassiopeian Law all trials that are likely to result in consideration of the death penalty, which includes treason,  are heard in the Celestial Courts which all meet in public utilising a panel of judges and Priests as a jury thus easily fulfilling the requirement. Queen Atalanta explained that the agreement was an important one saying, "There is a decent sized Cassiopeian population in the ASA meaning any members of the Junta could easily blend in without raising suspicion. I sense a situation similar to that of the Iwi with Seleucid war criminals and I am keen to try and avoid the entanglement they have experienced. This is the first step to ensuring those who were traitors to their homeland are brought to justice."

The Queen has also secured deals on lowering tariffs and  making visits between citizens of each nation simpler. The Queen has also voiced that she intends to visit other nations that had significant numbers of Cassiopeians during the period of the military Junta. This is likely to include Marseille, Acquitiane and possibly Lodja.

Squadron Leader Panagiotakis Michelakis jotted notes down in the bumpy compartment of the armored car. The view as they shot by didn't allow for much observation but the officer was certain that he'd seen enough. If there had been only one building hit in a residential area it made you consider just why that building. The questions were already formulating in his mind. There was clearly going to be a need for some humanitarian aid, and likely on both sides of the conflict and that was something they would need to address. As they were ushered into the underground complex and shown seats the two Cassiopeians compared notes from the drive. "If I may ask the first question" the Squadron Leader began, "How extensive is the damage to the city and would we be able to be provided with plans of the city?"

Squadron Leader Panagiotakis Michelakis had been selected by the Realm to be part of their representation to Topri and was being accompanied by Prince Grigoris, the Queen's own brother. The duo made their way to the nearby Air Force base in Cassiopeia and awaited the others. A Cassiopeian flight to Topri would take place and from there steps taken to work out exactly what was going on there. Now the duo just had to wait for the representatives from the other three nations.

The Queen prefered to stick to just coffee instead of the green tea, it was something she hadn't really ever taken too. "I'll have my Trade Ministers get in touch then and explore the ways of us co-operating in Chamwick. As for the student visa arrangement I'd be more than happy to see that put into practice. There are a lot of people from our nation who have spent a significant amount of time in other countries and I think that's something that can help us in the long run. Now we have our nation back though I fear that our next generation may miss out on these experiences. What was a necessity for us became something lots of our exiles enjoyed but now this More and Mundus programme could be a useful way of exploring them getting the benefits of some time abroad without thankfully any occupation. That in mind I'm happy to abide by your agreements conditions."

"In terms of our people having to pass the tests required for the space training I'm confident within the ranks of our service men and woman we can find individuals who can easily fulfill the requirements to begin the training. Naturally from that point forward its down to them to make the most of their opportunities. We seem to be asking a great deal of you, trade links at Chamwick, space exploration, is there anything you'd like from us?"

"We agree that there should be an approach to Topri before we proceed with issuing the Drenovian Proposal. We also need to think what we'll do if the proposal is knocked back and Topri ignore the request. As I understand it the Parbhanians have several times offered negotiations and they've been turned down, that may be because of ludicrous demands but could be because of Topri pride. We'll need to be prepared to cut through that."

TTHE ASSEMBLY OF SOVEREIGN NATIONS (ASN) FLOOR

Cassiopiean representative stands.

"Fellow representatives I have been asked to relay a request and a proposal on behalf of my Realms government. The Cassiopeians recognise in the heavens the constilations which many keep the names of Gods or people from our mythology. As such this has created a fascination with space and the cosmos. As of now no one from our nation though has ever entered space and we have relied on other nations for matters such as satellite launches and similar things. We are currently in talks with East Moreland to piggy back an astronaut from our nation into space on their space programmes back however in the long term we would like to be reliant on ourselves. We are therefore proposing that perhaps we as a group of four nations should examine the possibility, desire and feasibility of establishing or combining efforts to allow us to carry out things such as exploration and satellite launches ourselves. First I would like to hear if other members have an interest in doing such a thing and then if so perhaps look at a method to help us achieve this. I look forward to your opinions." 

Prince Kreios Floros, the cousin of Queen Atalanta, has today utilised his right to speak in the Celestial Council to propose a new law to govern trade within the Realm. The 45 year old Prince is permitted to sit in the Council by the right of being a member of the Celestial Family. If his new proposal passes through the fellow members of the Council it will then be required to be examined by the National Assembly and then Queen Atalanta. It is likely the new law, which is being called the Ethical Trade Act, will pass through its first hurdle in the next 48 hours. Speaking to the 74 members of the Celestial Council in attendance Prince Kreios explained. "The Realm was built upon the very notion of self sacrifice and duty. We saw for close to a decade what happens when these ideas are put to the side and self glorification and personal greed are allowed to dominate the nation. We must ensure we do not allow our nation to prosper because of the unjust practices."

The new bill will broadly speaking bring about three major changes in the Realms trading policy. The first would be to cease products, services or materials involving slave labour being able to enter the nation. The Bill would insist that anything being imported from a nation that recognises the practice of slavery utilises the East Moreland backed Freestone Mark. Prince Kreios explained, "The bill is not to be a sanction. It is to be about ensuring one human does not profit off the suffering of another. We see good and bad people in every nation, our own former Junta demonstrate that. There are no doubt Tamorans who are working hard, treating their workers fairly and paying them a fair days wage for a fair days work. Those are companies I would welcome to the Realm as they are companies who despite being given the oppurtunity to gain an economic edge over global competition are doing what is morally right."

The second change would be that the nation would draw up a list of endangered animals, possibly using the Wild Mundus Organisations own list, and that any product using these animals would be banned from being imported or exported from the Realm. "We have been given a beautiful world by the Olympians and we are guardians of it. Look at animals like the Pangolin in Kaitaine, they are being hunted to extinction and soon we may not have many left if any. They are creatures put here by the Gods and so can not be allowed to die out. We therefore will no longer be complicit in trading in the last few specimins of creation."

The final change is that the Realm will not permit antiquities over 600 years of age to leave the nation without permission. "We are a nation with a very deep and ancient culture. We are a nation blessed with thousands of years of archaeology beneath our feet. We are equally blessed to have neighbours with just a rich a history. It is known that a trade by the Seleucid in Maori heads exists and this is heartbreaking that human remains sacred to a people can become nothing more than household decoration. These artifacts belong to the people of those nations and not to private investors." Under the proposal anyone wishing to remove an artefact more than 600 years old will require a license. The Prince recognised that there are hundreds of thousands of ancient coins and pottery fragments in the Realm with many more found annually. The new law would still allow a trade in these for collectors however would allow scholars to prevent new and interesting discoveries to disappear.

There has already been one voice of opposition in the guise of  Georgios Adronis, an elected representative of Ariadne who stated. "This new law is haphazard. It attempts to do so many things in one package. Slavery is a blight but a blanket ban on Tamora is needed. Animals are tools created by the Gods for our use and enjoyment, if an animal is not able to survive in the modern world then it has reached the end of its line. We must adapt as the planet changes and so must all species. Charles Darwin talked about survival of the fittest and if Pangolin are not fit for the 21st Century then its time they go the same way as the dinosaurs. The only part I agree upon is protecting our own heritage however I believe any process must be streamlined enough to not permit legitimate trade to be stopped and this requires its own unique legislation not something thrown together trying to cover everything." The politician is likely to present his own counter-proposal covering some aspects of this bill but is not sure if the proposal will reach the required number of supporters to get debated.

So far the Queen has declined to comment on the matter.

---

PREAMBLE

A nation's identity is governed by its ability to maintain its traditions, culture and sovereignty. In the modern era many nations have moved towards organisations, treaties and standards that erode such abilities. It is the belief of those nations that have signed this document that it is possible to maintain a nations own identity while also ensuring that they can work in unison with others in the pursuit of peace and prosperity for all citizens. As such the nations which have, through their own particular process, ratified this charter shall form the Sovereign Union of Nations (here after called the Union) and shall abide by its Articles.

ARTICLES

1. STRUCTURE

a) The Union shall consist of a number of sub-organisations each designed to foster co-operation in a specific field. These shall be classed either compulsory or optional.

b) Once a member of the Union a nation may opt in or out of Optional sub-organisations by giving 30 days notice.

c) The Union's main organisation is the Assembly of Sovereign Nations (ASN). This is a compulsory organisation. Each nation shall appoint an ambassador to this body which will base itself in a member nation for six months on a rotational basis. The order of this rotation shall take place in order of joining starting with the founder nations in alphabetical order.

d) No Compulsory sub-organisation may be created without the consent of all members[1]

e) No Optional sub-organisation may be created without the consent of the majority of members[2].

f) Upon foundation several sub-organisations shall be created and outlined in this charter. As additional sub-organisations are created their specific conditions shall be added to this charter.

2. THE ASSEMBLY OF SOVEREIGN NATIONS (ASN)

The ASN is a compulsary organisation. The purpose of the ASN is to co-ordinate actions between member nations and to attempt to resolve disputes.

a) The ASN shall consist of one appointed delegate per nation.

b) The appointed delegate may change depending on the nature of the Assemblies session.

c) An appointed delegate may bring with them to discussions anyone deemed necessary for advising them.

d) Any adviser to the appointed delegate may address the Assembly.

e) Each session of the Assembly shall be overseen by a Chairperson who shall be appointed by the nation hosting the meeting but may not be their appointed delegate.

f) The ASN shall, when requested, seek to arbitrate in disputes between members. Should the chairperson's nation be involved in the dispute a new Chairperson must be appointed by the delegates. The ASN shall draft a proposal to peacefully solve the dispute and vote upon it. After voting the proposal must be approved by the nations in dispute.

g) The ASN may discuss any issue raised by an appointed delegate and if deemed appropriate by the membership draft a proposal or resolution. These are not binding upon members.

3. THE JOINT DEFENCE ASSOCIATION (JDA)

This is an optional sub-organisation and is aimed at promoting and supporting nations being capable of defending themselves.

a) The JDA shall consist of a retired military officer from each nation. They shall be called the JDA Officer

b) It shall be the duty of the JDA Officer to share relevant intelligence of impending attacks by either nations or terrorists. There shall be no compulsion to share intelligence if it is believed that by doing so a nations own security would be endangered.

c) The JDA Officers shall inform the Association of any impending military exercises their nation is to carry out so far as by doing so they do not endanger their exercises.

d) The JDA shall establish a network of preferred suppliers. These shall be companies from within the Union who are cleared to provide equipment and services to other members of the Union with streamlined paperwork.

e) The JDA nations shall host an annual joint exercise.

f) The JDA nations attempt to ensure at least 3.5% of GDP is allocated to matters of national defence.

4. THE FREE MOVEMENT ZONE (FMZ)

This shall be a compulsary organisation and is aimed at streamlining movement for the purpose of education, business and leisure.

a) The Zone shall admit any citizen from another members nation so long as the following criteria are meet.

i) The traveller holds a valid passport with at least six months left before expiry.
ii) The traveller holds a valid return ticket.
iii) The traveller can provide evidence if requested of being able to fund their stay without reliance on employment while in the host nation.
iv) The traveller can provide an address at which they can be contacted for the duration of their stay.
v) The traveller can demonstrate upon arrival if requested that they are a legitimate tourist, have been offered a place on an educational course lasting no more than five years or has been invited to conduct business meetings or negotiations.
vi) The traveller is not deemed a threat to national security.

b) Any traveller found to be in breach of any of article 4a is to be immediately deported.

c) Any traveller committing a crime which would carry a prison sentence of greater than two years in the nation the crime is committed may be immediately deported and their native nation shall carry out the imprisonment.

d) Each member nation shall ensure airlines from other member states have sufficient access to ensure travel opportunities are encouraged.

e) Each member nation shall require any traveller staying for longer than six months to register with local authorities at regular intervals.

5. THE FREE TRADE AUTHORITY (FTA)

The FTA is a compulsary organisation.

a) The FTA shall aim to move member nations to trading without tariffs being in place between them.

b) The FTA shall seek to have tariffs for member nations at a lower level than for non-member nations.

c) FTA members agree to each appoint a delegate to the Authority Working Group which shall oversee the aims of a) and b)

d) FTA members agree that they shall not undertake any practice or action designed at weakening the economy of any other member nation.

e) The FTA shall deem any product in which 75% of the manufacturing process is undertaken in member nation as being a "Native Product"

f) Native Products may, so long as they comply with local health and safety laws, enter any member nation with no tariffs so long as they are then moved to a third member nation within 30 days.

6. SOVEREIGN UNION OF NATIONS DISEASE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SUNDAC)

The SUNDAC shall be an optional organisation and shall exist to track spreads of disease and foster co-operation in preventing transmissions and finding solution.

a) SUNDAC shall have an appointed liaison officer in each nation.

b) The Liaison officer shall be tasked with communicating incidents of high infection of any disease.

c) SUNDAC nations shall share data regarding any outbreaks.

d) SUNDAC nations agree that should liaison officers agree that an outbreak of disease in multiple countries is connected all SUNDAC nations shall co-operate in finding suitable cures and preventions.

e) SUNDAC nations agree that in the event of a global outbreak they will permit medically trained appointed individuals nominated by the liaison officers to visit and conduct their own data and sample gathering in so far as they do not interfere with the home nations procedures. Furthermore these visitors agree to make any data and details of samples available to the host nation prior to leaving.

7. THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL

The Council is a compulsory organisation.

a) The Council shall consist of each members individual responsible for making foreign policy decisions or their appointed representative.

b) The Council shall meet once a year. The venue for the meeting shall be by rotation between members starting with the first founding nation alphabetically.

c) The host nations appointed representative shall Chair the Council.

d) The Council shall meet to discuss any changes or amendments to this charter.

e) Should a situation arise where a meeting of the Council is deemed necessary sooner than once a year this can be triggered by the ASN passing a resolution to do so.

f) Only this Council may expel a nation from the Union and this shall be by a 3/4 majority vote.[3]

8. MEMBERSHIP

a) Any Nation on Mundus may apply for membership of the Sovereign Union of Nations. This application must be in the form of a letter from their Head of State stating their reasons for joining and nominating a representative to meet with ASN delegates of those already members.

b) Upon their application being received ASN delegates shall discuss the application and vote upon whether to reject or admit the candidate.

c) Should two existing members request a review of an application the potential new member shall be invited to meet with the ASN delegates prior to any vote taking place.

d) A simple majority of voting members is required for admission to be granted.[4]

e) A nation may leave the Union at any time with 48 hours notice.

f) All nations must, before applying, ensure they fulfill the following criteria.

i) They have in place through a national constitution or other similar means legislation clearly explaining to their citizens their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

ii) They have in place for their military training dedicated to military ethics.

iii) They have or will publicly state their recognition of sovereign borders of Mundus in accordance with what is referred to as the Cassiopeian Standard Geopolitical Map[5]

iv) They have or will publicly state their recognition of each sovereign nation as identified on the Cassiopeian Standard Geopolitical Map having exclusive economic access to seas 200 nautical miles from its coastline. In situations where this would clash with another nations zone the midpoint is to be considered to designate exclusivity.[6]

g) As part of the admission process it is not permitted to insist on nations changing any of their documents pertaining to f)

9. DECLARATION

The nations signed below declare that on the date XX/XX/XX in the Cassiopeian city of Golgagra they have agreed to those articles outlined above. They recognise that by affixing their signature the Articles outlined above shall come into force 21 days from their signatures. They further declare that they shall in the future reach no agreement that shall go against the spirit of this charter.

1.	OOC -It is assumed that after 7 days of a vote being started anyone not voting has voted with the majority of voting members
2.	OOC- a period of 3 days will be given for votes to be cast and a majority of those cast in time will be considered as being sufficent
3.	Taken from those voting within 72 hours.
4.	OOC- a period of 3 days will be given for votes to be cast and a majority of those cast in time will be considered as being sufficent
5.	OOC-This will be the Regional Map as made by Achkaerin, IC - Imagine this being the official school text book for Geography in Cassiopeia or something
6.	Essentially UNCLOS but without us signing the FSC

Current Members

Drenovia
Cassiopeia
Chistopol
Paracambi

With it appearing that Chistopol had not descended into some kind of melt down Queen Atalanta gave a sigh of relief. When she had sent her invitations out she had hoped to at least get something positive from the process no matter how small. She now though seemed to have secured something that could be rather significant for years to come. She mused for a moment or two how just a few years ago such an agreement would never have been possible with the Junta in place instead now they'd hopefully just made three friends in one day.

"This is excellent news. We shall add SUNDAC to our list of sub-organisations as an optional one, though we shall be a member as I think its an excellent addition. It also seems that we are all satisfied that the SUN is ready to be signed into existence so perhaps we should have one final glance at the proposal and a simple yes or no as to whether we are in."

PREAMBLE

A nation's identity is governed by its ability to maintain its traditions, culture and sovereignty. In the modern era many nations have moved towards organisations, treaties and standards that erode such abilities. It is the belief of those nations that have signed this document that it is possible to maintain a nations own identity while also ensuring that they can work in unison with others in the pursuit of peace and prosperity for all citizens. As such the nations which have, through their own particular process, ratified this charter shall form the Sovereign Union of Nations (here after called the Union) and shall abide by its Articles.

ARTICLES

1. STRUCTURE

a) The Union shall consist of a number of sub-organisations each designed to foster co-operation in a specific field. These shall be classed either compulsory or optional.

b) Once a member of the Union a nation may opt in or out of Optional sub-organisations by giving 30 days notice.

c) The Union's main organisation is the Assembly of Sovereign Nations (ASN). This is a compulsory organisation. Each nation shall appoint an ambassador to this body which will base itself in a member nation for six months on a rotational basis. The order of this rotation shall take place in order of joining starting with the founder nations in alphabetical order.

d) No Compulsory sub-organisation may be created without the consent of all members[1]

e) No Optional sub-organisation may be created without the consent of the majority of members[2].

f) Upon foundation several sub-organisations shall be created and outlined in this charter. As additional sub-organisations are created their specific conditions shall be added to this charter.

2. THE ASSEMBLY OF SOVEREIGN NATIONS (ASN)

The ASN is a compulsary organisation. The purpose of the ASN is to co-ordinate actions between member nations and to attempt to resolve disputes.

a) The ASN shall consist of one appointed delegate per nation.

b) The appointed delegate may change depending on the nature of the Assemblies session.

c) An appointed delegate may bring with them to discussions anyone deemed necessary for advising them.

d) Any adviser to the appointed delegate may address the Assembly.

e) Each session of the Assembly shall be overseen by a Chairperson who shall be appointed by the nation hosting the meeting but may not be their appointed delegate.

f) The ASN shall, when requested, seek to arbitrate in disputes between members. Should the chairperson's nation be involved in the dispute a new Chairperson must be appointed by the delegates. The ASN shall draft a proposal to peacefully solve the dispute and vote upon it. After voting the proposal must be approved by the nations in dispute.

g) The ASN may discuss any issue raised by an appointed delegate and if deemed appropriate by the membership draft a proposal or resolution. These are not binding upon members.

3. THE JOINT DEFENCE ASSOCIATION (JDA)

This is an optional sub-organisation and is aimed at promoting and supporting nations being capable of defending themselves.

a) The JDA shall consist of a retired military officer from each nation. They shall be called the JDA Officer

b) It shall be the duty of the JDA Officer to share relevant intelligence of impending attacks by either nations or terrorists. There shall be no compulsion to share intelligence if it is believed that by doing so a nations own security would be endangered.

c) The JDA Officers shall inform the Association of any impending military exercises their nation is to carry out so far as by doing so they do not endanger their exercises.

d) The JDA shall establish a network of preferred suppliers. These shall be companies from within the Union who are cleared to provide equipment and services to other members of the Union with streamlined paperwork.

e) The JDA nations shall host an annual joint exercise.

f) The JDA nations attempt to ensure at least 3.5% of GDP is allocated to matters of national defence.

4. THE FREE MOVEMENT ZONE (FMZ)

This shall be a compulsary organisation and is aimed at streamlining movement for the purpose of education, business and leisure.

a) The Zone shall admit any citizen from another members nation so long as the following criteria are meet.

i) The traveller holds a valid passport with at least six months left before expiry.
ii) The traveller holds a valid return ticket.
iii) The traveller can provide evidence if requested of being able to fund their stay without reliance on employment while in the host nation.
iv) The traveller can provide an address at which they can be contacted for the duration of their stay.
v) The traveller can demonstrate upon arrival if requested that they are a legitimate tourist, have been offered a place on an educational course lasting no more than five years or has been invited to conduct business meetings or negotiations.
vi) The traveller is not deemed a threat to national security.

b) Any traveller found to be in breach of any of article 4a is to be immediately deported.

c) Any traveller committing a crime which would carry a prison sentence of greater than two years in the nation the crime is committed may be immediately deported and their native nation shall carry out the imprisonment.

d) Each member nation shall ensure airlines from other member states have sufficient access to ensure travel opportunities are encouraged.

e) Each member nation shall require any traveller staying for longer than six months to register with local authorities at regular intervals.

5. THE FREE TRADE AUTHORITY (FTA)

The FTA is a compulsary organisation.

a) The FTA shall aim to move member nations to trading without tariffs being in place between them.

b) The FTA shall seek to have tariffs for member nations at a lower level than for non-member nations.

c) FTA members agree to each appoint a delegate to the Authority Working Group which shall oversee the aims of a) and b)

d) FTA members agree that they shall not undertake any practice or action designed at weakening the economy of any other member nation.

e) The FTA shall deem any product in which 75% of the manufacturing process is undertaken in member nation as being a "Native Product"

f) Native Products may, so long as they comply with local health and safety laws, enter any member nation with no tariffs so long as they are then moved to a third member nation within 30 days.

6. SOVEREIGN UNION OF NATIONS DISEASE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SUNDAC)

The SUNDAC shall be an optional organisation and shall exist to track spreads of disease and foster co-operation in preventing transmissions and finding solution.

a) SUNDAC shall have an appointed liaison officer in each nation.

b) The Liaison officer shall be tasked with communicating incidents of high infection of any disease.

c) SUNDAC nations shall share data regarding any outbreaks.

d) SUNDAC nations agree that should liaison officers agree that an outbreak of disease in multiple countries is connected all SUNDAC nations shall co-operate in finding suitable cures and preventions.

e) SUNDAC nations agree that in the event of a global outbreak they will permit medically trained appointed individuals nominated by the liaison officers to visit and conduct their own data and sample gathering in so far as they do not interfere with the home nations procedures. Furthermore these visitors agree to make any data and details of samples available to the host nation prior to leaving.

7. THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL

The Council is a compulsory organisation.

a) The Council shall consist of each members individual responsible for making foreign policy decisions or their appointed representative.

b) The Council shall meet once a year. The venue for the meeting shall be by rotation between members starting with the first founding nation alphabetically.

c) The host nations appointed representative shall Chair the Council.

d) The Council shall meet to discuss any changes or amendments to this charter.

e) Should a situation arise where a meeting of the Council is deemed necessary sooner than once a year this can be triggered by the ASN passing a resolution to do so.

f) Only this Council may expel a nation from the Union and this shall be by a 3/4 majority vote.[3]

8. MEMBERSHIP

a) Any Nation on Mundus may apply for membership of the Sovereign Union of Nations. This application must be in the form of a letter from their Head of State stating their reasons for joining and nominating a representative to meet with ASN delegates of those already members.

b) Upon their application being received ASN delegates shall discuss the application and vote upon whether to reject or admit the candidate.

c) Should two existing members request a review of an application the potential new member shall be invited to meet with the ASN delegates prior to any vote taking place.

d) A simple majority of voting members is required for admission to be granted.[4]

e) A nation may leave the Union at any time with 48 hours notice.

f) All nations must, before applying, ensure they fulfill the following criteria.

i) They have in place through a national constitution or other similar means legislation clearly explaining to their citizens their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

ii) They have in place for their military training dedicated to military ethics.

iii) They have or will publicly state their recognition of sovereign borders of Mundus in accordance with what is referred to as the Cassiopeian Standard Geopolitical Map[5]

iv) They have or will publicly state their recognition of each sovereign nation as identified on the Cassiopeian Standard Geopolitical Map having exclusive economic access to seas 200 nautical miles from its coastline. In situations where this would clash with another nations zone the midpoint is to be considered to designate exclusivity.[6]

g) As part of the admission process it is not permitted to insist on nations changing any of their documents pertaining to f)

9. DECLARATION

The nations signed below declare that on the date XX/XX/XX in the Cassiopeian city of Golgagra they have agreed to those articles outlined above. They recognise that by affixing their signature the Articles outlined above shall come into force 21 days from their signatures. They further declare that they shall in the future reach no agreement that shall go against the spirit of this charter.

1.	OOC -It is assumed that after 7 days of a vote being started anyone not voting has voted with the majority of voting members
2.	OOC- a period of 3 days will be given for votes to be cast and a majority of those cast in time will be considered as being sufficent
3.	Taken from those voting within 72 hours.
4.	OOC- a period of 3 days will be given for votes to be cast and a majority of those cast in time will be considered as being sufficent
5.	OOC-This will be the Regional Map as made by Achkaerin, IC - Imagine this being the official school text book for Geography in Cassiopeia or something
6.	Essentially UNCLOS but without us signing the FSC

Cassiopeia naturally votes yes.

The Queen's media representative has announced moments ago that it is likely that shortly the Queen shall announce the creation of a new multi-national agreement in which Cassiopeia will be a central partner. The Queen is currently meeting with the governments of Paracambi, Chistopol and Drenovia in Golgagra. Preliminary talks have so far seen the four nations reach an agreement in principle to work together in the areas of trade and travel among other areas. The exact nature of the agreement has yet to be announced however the Queen's representative stated, "The Queen is hopeful that when an agreement is reached it will see the Realm in a position to put in place a large number of projects which will help the nation grow its economy and create oppurtunites for all our citizens." While the collection of nations present may sound rather random there was an explanation of why they were invited. "Cassiopeia does not and will not recognise that any nation has authroity over its land. All decisions made for the realm shall be made by the Queen and her representatives. The Queen though believes that international co-operation is needed to help nations develop and take advantage of oppurtunities, that does not mean though sovereignty must be given away. Queen Atalana considered exploring existing alliances and pacts like the CNN, the CSU or regional assemblies however they were rejected as each includes clauses that in our view give up sovereignty. The CSU for example allows any nation who is a member to fish for nearly half a month in any other member nations waters once registered, it determines limits to the working rights of students across the whole of the CSU not allowing nations to take that decision for themselves. These may seem minor issues but they also allow people feeling they are not getting their way to utilise foreign courts to force a nation to act a set way. The CNN is little better. It imposes rules on a nations education system and ties people to the Uppsala Convention,  a treaty that allows foreign courts to oversee trials against our citizens. Surrendering these rights its something we can not do. As such we see commonality with Chistopol, Paracambi and Drenovia who have also to date rejected these concepts."

The Queen has also expressed her view that this treaty may see further nations join with her spokesman saying, "There are other nations out there who have also rejected what were once seen as key treaties, the MCUR for one. While three nations have attended there are still opportunities to join with like minded nations." It is expected that the four leaders will address the media once the treaty or agreement has been finalised.

The Cult of Helus had no followers in Cassiopeia at least not in numbers that required Atalanta really knowing about them. It was though respectful to pay faiths other than your own due reverence and so that was why she asked to visit the place especially knowing that King David appeared a pious man in his own ways. When the King mentioned the Argonauts Atalanta couldn't help but laugh a little, "I don't know whether you just have incredible taste in your mythological favourites or you are amazingly well briefed." She then hoped she hadn't offended David knowing that the King was a history graduate, "Forgive me." she offered an apology still unsure how to read the Morelander. "You see tradition in the Realm is that a Queen is allocated a name because of her history, the omens and various other facts taken into account by the Oracles. I was born Hanlia Manolas but when I was six I had a run in with a bear in the woods and thankfully avoided being mauled, I then served in our Navy. Well legend has it Atalanta was a fierce hunter and raised by bears. She is also the only female to have served on the Argo, so you see I am named for one of the Argonauts." She was proud of that fact her namesake had been onboard that famed vessel and that she had helped make her own beloved boat the CNS Okeanos as acclaimed, at least in her homeland.

As she entered the Temple Atalanta was careful to ensure she followed the traditions that she had read about and as she reached the alter table she removed a ring from her finger and placed it on the table, "I hope the Temple will accept a gift from our own God Poseidon, a sign of our blossoming friendship." She wasn't sure how the King would see the gesture but believed it was one that would be seen for the spirit in which it was meant. As David had the door unlocked and she peered up into the tower she was glad that she had elected to not wear heels and hoped that she wouldn't be a sweating mess by the time she reached the top. Once there the Queen took the time to take in the sights beneath them and while Cassiopeias capital of Golgagra had many buildings taller than this she appreciated the fact that beneath her the city had kept its character and she could almost imagine it full of medieval peasants making their way to some hustling and bustling market. "Its certainly a great view" She finally said once she had recovered her breath, "Do you not find that law on building height restrictive though?" the Queen asked, "I can just think of several office blocks taller in our nation and they are great additions to our capital in terms of the economic set up?" She was keen to find out some more about how things were organized in East Moreland and this could be a way in. 

The Queen was unsure what to do when Queen Jozica began her prayers so simply stood and waited patiently for her to finish before beginning to speak. "Thank you Queen Jozica for starting us off by thinking about friendship. I think this is exactly the reason for us meeting. I have a fear, one I hope that is unfounded, that some of us around this table may perhaps find the art of making friends across Mundus a difficult thing. There is a long established order across the globe where certain standards are established by nations with clear agendas. The MCUR for example seeks to impose the ideals of liberal nations upon us. Yet here we have four nations, divided by faith, but united by our love for our traditions and ways that can not in good conscience sign the document for fear of turning our backs on our culture. Today we have sat in one place the religious leaders of three faiths, our own polythesic faith, Vodooism and Druantaism meanwhile I know the people of Chistpol hold their religion dear. We then see attempts to forge factions forcing nations to comply to various standards whether that is the CNN and their charter or the complexities of the Cross Straits bodies, each taking away the sovereignty of their members. It is my hope here today that we can do something new. We can find a way of our four nations working in unison while maintaining our own sovereignty."

With a nod an aide brought across armfuls of copies of the document the Queen had drafted.

PREAMBLE

A nation's identity is governed by its ability to maintain its traditions, culture and sovereignty. In the modern era many nations have moved towards organisations, treaties and standards that erode such abilities. It is the belief of those nations that have signed this document that it is possible to maintain a nations own identity while also ensuring that they can work in unison with others in the pursuit of peace and prosperity for all citizens. As such the nations which have, through their own particular process, ratified this charter shall form the Sovereign Union of Nations (here after called the Union) and shall abide by its Articles.

ARTICLES

1. STRUCTURE

a) The Union shall consist of a number of sub-organisations each designed to foster co-operation in a specific field. These shall be classed either compulsory or optional.

b) Once a member of the Union a nation may opt in or out of Optional sub-organisations by giving 30 days notice.

c) The Union's main organisation is the Assembly of Sovereign Nations (ASN). This is a compulsory organisation. Each nation shall appoint an ambassador to this body which will base itself in a member nation for six months on a rotational basis. The order of this rotation shall take place in order of joining starting with the founder nations in alphabetical order.

d) No Compulsory sub-organisation may be created without the consent of all members[1]

e) No Optional sub-organisation may be created without the consent of the majority of members[2].

f) Upon foundation several sub-organisations shall be created and outlined in this charter. As additional sub-organisations are created their specific conditions shall be added to this charter.

2. THE ASSEMBLY OF SOVEREIGN NATIONS (ASN)

The Purpose of the ASN is to co-ordinate actions between member nations and to attempt to resolve disputes.

a) The ASN shall consist of one appointed delegate per nation.

b) The appointed delegate may change depending on the nature of the Assemblies session.

c) An appointed delegate may bring with them to discussions anyone deemed necessary for advising them.

d) Any adviser to the appointed delegate may address the Assembly.

e) Each session of the Assembly shall be overseen by a Chairperson who shall be appointed by the nation hosting the meeting but may not be their appointed delegate.

f) The ASN shall, when requested, seek to arbitrate in disputes between members. Should the chairperson's nation be involved in the dispute a new Chairperson must be appointed by the delegates. The ASN shall draft a proposal to peacefully solve the dispute and vote upon it. After voting the proposal must be approved by the nations in dispute.

g) The ASN may discuss any issue raised by an appointed delegate and if deemed appropriate by the membership draft a proposal or resolution. These are not binding upon members.

3. THE JOINT DEFENCE ASSOCIATION (JDA)

This is an optional sub-organisation and is aimed at promoting and supporting nations being capable of defending themselves.

a) The JDA shall consist of a retired military officer from each nation. They shall be called the JDA Officer

b) It shall be the duty of the JDA Officer to share relevant intelligence of impending attacks by either nations or terrorists. There shall be no compulsion to share intelligence if it is believed that by doing so a nations own security would be endangered.

c) The JDA Officers shall inform the Association of any impending military exercises their nation is to carry out so far as by doing so they do not endanger their exercises.

d) The JDA shall establish a network of preferred suppliers. These shall be companies from within the Union who are cleared to provide equipment and services to other members of the Union with streamlined paperwork.

e) The JDA nations shall host an annual joint exercise.

f) The JDA nations attempt to ensure at least 3.5% of GDP is allocated to matters of national defence.

4. THE FREE MOVEMENT ZONE (FMZ)

This shall be an optional organisation and is aimed at streamlining movement for the purpose of education, business and leisure.

a) The Zone shall admit any citizen from another members nation so long as the following criteria are meet.

i) The traveller holds a valid passport with at least six months left before expiry.
ii) The traveller holds a valid return ticket.
iii) The traveller can provide evidence if requested of being able to fund their stay without reliance on employment while in the host nation.
iv) The traveller can provide an address at which they can be contacted for the duration of their stay.
v) The traveller can demonstrate upon arrival if requested that they are a legitimate tourist, have been offered a place on an educational course lasting no more than five years or has been invited to conduct business meetings or negotiations.
vi) The traveller is not deemed a threat to national security.

b) Any traveller found to be in breach of any of article 4a is to be immediately deported.

c) Any traveller committing a crime which would carry a prison sentence of greater than two years in the nation the crime is committed may be immediately deported and their native nation shall carry out the imprisonment.

d) Each member nation shall ensure airlines from other member states have sufficient access to ensure travel opportunities are encouraged.

e) Each member nation shall require any traveller staying for longer than six months to register with local authorities at regular intervals.

5. THE FREE TRADE AUTHORITY (FTA)

The FTA is an optional organisation.

a) The FTA shall aim to move member nations to trading without tariffs being in place between them.

b) The FTA shall seek to have tariffs for member nations at a lower level than for non-member nations.

c) FTA members agree to each appoint a delegate to the Authority Working Group which shall oversee the aims of a) and b)

d) FTA members agree that they shall not undertake any practice or action designed at weakening the economy of any other member nation.

e) The FTA shall deem any product in which 75% of the manufacturing process is undertaken in member nation as being a "Native Product"

f) Native Products may, so long as they comply with local health and safety laws, enter any member nation with no tariffs so long as they are then moved to a third member nation within 30 days.

6. THE HEAD OF STATE'S COUNCIL

The Council is a compulsory organisation.

a) The Council shall consist of each members Head of State or their appointed representative.

b) The Council shall meet once a year. The venue for the meeting shall be by rotation between members starting with the first founding nation alphabetically.

c) The host nations Head of State of appointed represenatative shall Chair the Council.

d) The Council shall meet to discuss any changes or amendments to this charter.

e) Should a situation arise where a meeting of the Council is deemed neccessary sooner than once a year this can be triggered by the ASN passing a resolution to do so.

f) Only this Council may expel a nation from the Union and this shall be by a 3/4 majority vote.[3]

7. MEMBERSHIP

a) Any Nation on Mundus may apply for membership of the Sovereign Union of Nations. This application must be in the form of a letter from their Head of State stating their reasons for joining and nominating a representative to meet with ASN delegates of those already members.

b) Upon their application being received ASN delegates shall discuss the application and vote upon whether to reject or admit the candidate.

c) Should two existing members request a review of an application the potential new member shall be invited to meet with the ASN delegates prior to any vote taking place.

d) A simple majority of voting members is required for admission to be granted.[4]

e) A nation may leave the Union at any time with 48 hours notice.

f) All nations must, before applying, ensure they fulfill the following criteria.

i) They have in place through a national constitution or other similar means legislation clearly explaining to their citizens their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

ii) They have in place for their military training dedicated to military ethics.

iii) They have or will publicly state their recognition of sovereign borders of Mundus in accordance with what is referred to as the Cassiopeian Standard Geopolitical Map[5]

iv) They have or will publicly state their recognition of each sovereign nation as identified on the Cassiopeian Standard Geopolitical Map having exclusive economic access to seas 200 nautical miles from its coastline. In situations where this would clash with another nations zone the midpoint is to be considered to designate exclusivity.[6]

g) As part of the admission process it is not permitted to insist on nations changing any of their documents pertaining to f)

8. DECLARATION

The nations signed below declare that on the date XX/XX/XX in the Cassiopeian city of Golgagra they have agreed to those articles outlined above. They recognise that by affixing their signature the Articles outlined above shall come into force 21 days from their signatures. They further declare that they shall in the future reach no agreement that shall go against the spirit of this charter.

1.	OOC -It is assumed that after 7 days of a vote being started anyone not voting has voted with the majority of voting members
2.	OOC- a period of 3 days will be given for votes to be cast and a majority of those cast in time will be considered as being sufficent
3.	Taken from those voting within 72 hours.
4.	OOC- a period of 3 days will be given for votes to be cast and a majority of those cast in time will be considered as being sufficent
5.	OOC-This will be the Regional Map as made by Achkaerin, IC - Imagine this being the official school text book for Geography in Cassiopeia or something
6.	Essentially UNCLOS but without us signing the FSC

"I welcome your suggestions. I hope I have managed to create something that will act as an evolving foundation helping draw us together while at the same time giving each of us freedom to still pursue our own paths in the world."

was
Following several weeks of consultation which included a randomly selected Citizens Senate the nations "Humanity Bill" has been signed by the Queen. The document which is officially named the Bill for The Protection of the Realms Inhabitants was drafted by Queen Atalanta after consultation with the various Oracles and aims to outline in law the rights of anyone inside Cassiopeia. The document was first scrutinised by the Celestial Council, then the National Assembly before the Queen took a rather unique step of allowing the creation of a 500 person, randomly selected, Citizens Senate, the first in around 120 years. The Queen sat in on the five days process and made several changes to the document based on the consultations. Finally a vote of the Citizens Senate took place and approved the document 431 to 69. Following the Citizens Senate approving the document the Queen signed it making it law, she however then took the unusual step of inviting every member of the Citizens Senate, Celestial Council and National Assembly to add their own signature. Following the signing the Queen addressed the nation saying, "Under the military Junta people lost their rights and the rouge elements of our military, intent on only furthering their own fortune and influence, left people only with what they thought they needed. Many nations across Mundus hold up the MCUR as the true defender of individuals rights however to the best of my knowledge no consultation on the scale of that undertaken by us has ever been done on Mundus to approve a human rights charter. Over 700 individuals have added their signatures representing every single person who resides in our Realm. From this day forward the rights of every resident within the Realm, be they Cassiopeian or a foreign national, they will be protected by law and we shall do everything we can to ensure every single individual recieves the full support of the crown in enjoying them."

The key parts of the document are summarized below.

* Any individual over the age of 18 who has resided in the nation for more than 5 years may vote unless they are a convicted criminal.
* Ex-Members of the Armed Forces have the right to own firearms and carry them concealed in public.
* The Death penalty may be utilised for the crimes of rape of a minor, murder and treason
* Education shall be compulsary from ages 4-18 and funded by the government if required.
* Equal Pay for Equal Work
* Arranged marriages may take place at 16. Non-Arranged marriages may take place at 18.
* Prostitution shall be permitted only in licensed buildings
* Discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality or age is outlawed.
* Same Sex couples may not marry but may have legally recognised civil unions.
* Individuals may change gender but this shall not be funded by the government.
* Government will not recognise changes in gender on official documents.
* Trials will be determined by jury for all but capital offenses. Capital offences are determined by three judges and two members of the Priesthood.
* All non-cosmetic health care is to be funded by the government through taxation.
* Anyone born within the Realm with at least one Cassiopeian parent is considered a citizen. Anyone born with two Cassiopeian parents is considered Cassiopeian. Following living in the Realm five years and passing a citizenship test an individual may apply to be a Cassiopeian citizen.

The full document is published on government websites.

In other news it is announced that the Queen has sent invitations to the nations of Chistopol, Paracambi and Denovia to visit in order to discuss co-operation. It is understood that the Queen has targeted co-operation with these nations as they, like the Realm, have refused to sign a vast array of international agreements. The Queen is said to hope that "by standing together those of us who value our own individual sovereigty above all can ensure our strength should the internationalists try and enforce their own ideals and values upon us. So far I have been privledged to meet several nations, such as East Moreland, who are signatories of every major international agreement. Those talks progressed well and I believe they understand we are a nation that is not some evil monster simply because of our stance. We can not however run the risk that one day things may change so I would prefer to be in a position to maintain strong friendships with like minded nations."

Chersonis earthquake damage to Zeus statue begins to be repaired---Queen to host a Conclave of Oracles to discuss religious policies for the "21st Century"----Complex of the Queen to host Academic Decathlon event----Hopes of joining the "Southern Line" dashed by lack of Novinican support.