NationStates Jolt Archive

The United Eastasian Republic had been remarkably quick in suggesting Sapporo for the site of the badly-needed conference on the Eurasian Line (and other matters if they arose), and not only for the opportunity to sort out some pressing issues. The Eastasian government was eager to hold some form of diplomatic function in Nihon State to show off one of their newest member territories, but holding the event in Tokyo was deemed to be too much of a flaunt. Sapporo was chosen in preference to Kyoto or Osaka because of Premier Zhao's insistence; in truth, he wanted another opportunity to return to the hot springs he'd visited while on one of his recent sabbaticals.

The setting for the conference would in fact be the brand new Nihon Rose Relaxation and Alleviation Complex, established by the Eastasian Communist Party as a holiday resort for the top bureaucrats while retaining what the Party saw as 'Japanese character'. All delegates would have open access to the facilities during the conference in an attempt to reduce any tensions and perhaps set an agreeable mood.

All delegates would be directed to land at New Chitose Airport, where they would be collected by a representative of the Foreign Ministry who would be fully briefed on any greeting customs for their designated guest; the delegates would then be driven to the complex to settle in before a welcoming dinner on the first night of the conference.

The white-painted T-34A Robin had been in the air for many hours, and was finally drawing near the end of its long voyage. Aboard the VIP transport aircraft, operated by the Royal Cottish Air Force, Prime Minister Rothsky himself was aboard, accompanied by Foreign Minister Jensen and Commerce Minister Voll, their aides, and a small security detachment from the Diplomatic Protection Corps. The Robin was spacious and comfortable, having been modified from the highly successful Boeing 767-400ER aircraft. It could transport eighty VIP passengers comfortably, although for this particular trip, only the three ministers, thirty assistants and aides and twelve DPC agents were being transported.

The long flight had not only allowed for a comfortable and restful flight, but also given the ministers a chance to discuss the situation that had unfolded and what stance the Cottish government should take in this position. The minimum demand was that the Russians had to allow the Eurasian Line to be reopened, a demand the Cottish believed they shared with the majority of the other nations that would attend the summit. When they landed at New Chitose Airport in Sapporo in Japan, the Cottish delegation had hammered out the Cottish position in the relative privacy of the jet.

Prime Minister Rothsky was naturally the first one to exit the aircraft, smiling at the assembled welcoming committee as he descended the flight stairs despite the dangerous situation the world currently was in. He greeted the UER official in the Cottish manner – a handshake and a little bow.

The Hirgizstanian attendence at Sapporo would be a low-key affair. While the UER was officially recognized, diplomatic relations were non-existent due to the left-wing nature of the state and some of its more colorful social policies. The COH did not seek to try and change the UER's ways or anything of the sort, but diplomatic relations were still a subject of much rancour throughout the Hirgizstanian Congress.

In any case the conference at Sapporo was extremely important and it required a Hirgizstanian prescence, as it required the prescence of delegates from many other countries. The Secretary of Trade and a number of figures from the Department of Trade, would be attending the conference, where, hopefully, a solution to the Great Eurasian lines problems would be addressed and thrashed out.

The HAI 737 was operated by the Fuhrer Guards and could seat 75 people. On it were 20 diplomats, including the Secretary of Trade, and 20 Fuhrer Guards.

The situation in which the COH found itself was not quite as grave as some other nations. A corporativist system had, in the past, allowed the Commonwealth to ride out the storms that sometimes occurred in the global market. However, the Eurasian line accounted for a large chunk of imports and exports in Europe and to loose the revenue that the line generated would be a great blow. However, the closing of a section of the line had presented a number of oppurtunities, in grey-area oil trade with the UER and, being a big producer of fuels and food, increased production would ensure that the global market still got what it needed, although now moreso from Hirgizstanian markets. So the Eurasian line was a problem, but it also provided oppurtunities. In any case the Hirgizstanian delegation would be demanding that the Russians open their part of the line until a replacement route could be built.

On arrival at New Chitose Airport in Sapporo the 737 taxied to a hangar where a diplomatic team from the UER met the Hirgizstanians, there was no press or welcoming committee as had been requested, just a convoy of vehicles and a brief 'Welcome to the UER'.

Slowly HAW-1 ,the 777-200LR Worldliner custom constructed by Boeing for the Holy Republic, began its descent into New Chitose Airport. Prime Minister Wells poured over topographic images on his laptop. He studied the terrain around the Russian holdings looking for an alternative route for the Eurasian Line. His entourage included the Foreign Minister Cynthia Pulin, Commerce Secretary Allen Gaines and World renouned financier Collin Tweed. The position of the Republic was decided somewhere on the 19 hour flight, and it was clear that the line needed to be reopened to avoid a worldwide recession. Data had been compiled, charts readied and powerpoints assembled to backup this point in the meeting to come. The devil in the details would be the selection of another route for the line. PM Wells hoped he could convince the group, mainly the most gracious UER hosts, of a plan to extend the link to the UER coastline to help fuel the growing needs of the SE Asian markets. Wells reflected back on his private conversation with the Eurasian representatives and hoped they would offer up new territories for a route like they had discussed.

As they slowly taxied to a stop in the diplomatic hangar assigned, PM Wells sighed he had hoped he could make an official visit to the UER like he had planned earlier in the year over the Cottish King's extravigant birthday party. He would discuss a return trip with his UER counterpart at the conclusion of the conference for sure.

"Alright people, we are a guest of the UER. I expect all protocol's and customs be followed at all times during this conference. All dealings will be handled through my position. Secretary Gaines you will handle the recession speech and Mr. Tweed I want those numbers for financial backing ready when I call for them. Team are we ready to greet our gracious hosts?"

A collective yes sir rang through the cabin as PM Wells turned and lead the deligation off the airframe. Courteously Wells greeted the diplomatic attachees assigned to greet them and exchanged handshakes and bows, making sure to meet all the necessary customs the UER deligation would expect.

OOC: So ummm your runways aren't big enough for my plane LOL! Are they extended in NS-universe than what they are IRL? I need about 13,500 feet for successful take off and just under 12,000 for a landing. However, the runway at Chitose Airport is long enough.

The Eurasian Government sends their Foreign Minister Yusef bin Hamid plus 20 staff members and 10 bodyguards, via Airbus 380 Navigator. The Eurasian Government was not happy with recent events and major disputation in world trade network. As soon as the plane landed, and were welcome by the Eastasians. Then the Minister and staff quickly got in their convoy and headed to summit.

The Romans shall send their current Praetor Extraterritorialis (Foreign Affairs Minister) Jomo Marea to the proceedings in Sapporo.

(OOC: I won't bother RPing every individual greeting, mainly because there are more than a few to do and it might be better to get into the nitty-gritty)

The Eastasian representatives were all careful to be as polite and neutral as possible in their greetings; some of these nations were known as cordial acquaintances, others were barely spoken about unless some new international crisis had emerged. All special requests were met regarding the collection of the delegates; the Foreign Ministry understood that not every nation wanted a large fanfare.

As their transport drew into the grounds of the complex, the delegates would be confronted by the sight of a main driveway lined with cherry blossoms; beyond the trees, delegates would be able to make out several of the state-of-the-art facilities which provided the 'relaxation and alleviation'. All of the signs were in Eastasian, but the assigned representative would be more than willing to translate if any delegates expressed an interest. Upon their arrival at the main building, the delegations would be greeted by immaculately-dressed staff who behaved with deference to their guests; delegates would be shown to their residential suites and provided with a phone number in case they required their assigned representative for anything.

The delegations had been allocated suites according to the Foreign Ministry's understanding of their state relationships; therefore, all members of the October Alliance would be next to each other, followed by the likes of the Eurasians and the Romans, with the Russian Federation situated on the opposite end of the floor to avoid any potential awkwardness. The Eastasians themselves were spread around the complex, with Premier Zhao staying at his private residence on the grounds.

OOC: Ja just assume we're there too..

OOC: Are the Russians coming to this meeting? I don't remember seeing Pushka signing up, unless I missed it somewhere.

OOC: Im coming, can't miss this circus.

IC:

The Russian Federation will be sending President Igor Stepanov as well as Diplomat Leonid Drodzky to this conference.

OOC: Can we assume that I just got there Im bad at RPing arrivals it always feels awkward.

(OOC: We might as well breeze through the dinner to the conference beginning, since that's the main reason we're here.)

Premier Zhao cleared his throat as he looked at the representatives seated at the table with him; some were friends, some were acquantainces, others he barely knew. Half of them hadn't been expected to ever set foot on Eastasian soil, but that showed the importance of the conference; everyone wanted to solve the situation, and were willing to travel just about anywhere to achieve that aim.

"We are all here today seeking solutions to problems; unfortunately this world seems to have more than a fair share of them, for various reasons. The primary problem is the current status of the Eurasian Line; the vast majority of nations here rely on it for some substantial trade links with nations which would otherwise be costly and time-consuming to reach. Now, the Russian government has resolved to closing their section of the Line; combined with the actions of the Nerotikans in Kazakhstan, this vital link between East and West is in jeopardy. The United Eastasian Republic readily admits that losing the Line would cause some serious short-term problems and could even have long-term ramifications; that is the reason why we are hosting this conference. For all our bluff and bluster, we need the Line just as much as everyone else who uses it.

I understand that we have amongst us several new proposals for the Line's direction, as well as some new ideas regarding trade links in general; I therefore open the floor, either to statements, proposals or anything else which those of us here feel is pertinent information."

The Layartebian Emperor clicked on his microphone. "The Empire is grateful that the Eastasian Republic has answered our request for this emergency summit. The closing of the Eurasian Line in Russian territory is certainly a detremental blow to our current efforts along the Eurasian Line but they can easily be solved. The Empire has been working with several nations party to the Eurasian Line to expand it as well as provide alternate routes, routes that would completely bypass the Russian Federation. This would require simply expanding the line in Eastasian territories, such as western China and Mongolia to allow reach to Cottish and Roman territory to the east of Russian territories in Asia. In addition, we would like to propose expansion to the Line, possibly into Africa to incorporate the territory of the United States of Brink. In addition, we have been working with the Roman Empire for plans to expand the line throughout North America and South America, albeit we would only be able to carry along the pipeline aspect of the line from Iceland through Greenland and into North America."

Prime Minister Rothsky listened to the statements made by Premier Zhao and the Emperor of Layarteb before he turned on his microphone and began delivering the opening statement from the Realm.

”Ladies and gentlemen, first of all I wish to thank Premier Zhao and the United Eastasian Republic for graciously hosting this highly important meeting.” Rothsky said with a gracious nod to Zhao before continuing.

”With all due respect to our Layartebian friends, the immediate agenda should not be future expansion of the Eurasian Line, but rather finding a peaceful and viable solution that will allow the original line to remain open for business. As such, the Realm wish to propose the following as an alternative to the current route which takes the Eurasian Line through the Russian Federation’s territory.

“The line will move from Kazakhstan and east into China and Mongolia as it does today, connecting the UER with central Asia and Europe, but also from China and north into the parts of Siberia that make up the Crown Province of Siberia. West, towards Europe, we propose that the line be expanded from Kazakhstan west through the Roman territories of Volgograd and Voronezh, before it makes a turn north and into the Cottish territory of Tambov, and from there further north to link up with the existing Eurasian Line.

“This rerouting of the line in the west will involve the construction of some two thousand kilometers of double-tracked railroad and the assorted support structures and take between one and three years according to the Commerce Ministry, but the expenses that this entails will be recovered within an estimated five years of the line being completed. The tracks through China and into Siberia is another and less important issue at present, which can be discussed later in these deliberations if time permit.

“The benefits of this rerouting to the south are not only in compliance with the Russian Federation’s primary demand, that the Eurasian Line be moved away from their territory, but will also help increase the value for the Roman and Cottish territories in question, and make the trade goods flow easier from point A to point B. Thank you.”

Rothsky sat back and took a sip of the water, his throat being a little dry after the lengthy speech. He listened carefully to the replies.

Short, plump, and with an incredibly distinguished look about him Baruti sat calmly in his chair. His country was far removed from the problems of Russia or Asia, or at least not directly. His nation was one that traded with almost every other nation on the planet and as such the affects of the Line closing began to slowly trickle down to Southern Africa. Nevertheless he was still a staunch pacifist and therefore wished to see no bloodshed. However, he did agree with Russia. TOA did have an alarming homogeny on global power. Yet Russia’s irrational saber rattling was doing little to disrupt that absolute control. So he would sit there, quiet and dignified until talk of the expansion of the line came up again.

Prime Minister Wells was next to speak he rose took the microphone from its stand and began to address the group.

"Excuse me if I stand gentlemen, the 14 hours in an airplane beg me to stretch my legs abit. First on behalf of the Holy Republic I would like to thank Premier Zhao for hosting this event and secondly I would like to compliment him on the absolute beauty of this facility and grounds. I was always told in school that I tended to ramble on so I will make my presentation as brief as possible.

We understand the Russian's position that they do not want the Eurasian Line to travel through there lands and we respect the rights they have over there own territory. Having control over your own lands should never be questioned, when we established the line some years ago the economic forecast for the world took a turn for the better when we began construction of this economic juggernaut. I would be willing to bet that no nation here or within the world can offer an argument that the Eurasian Line hasn't benefited them economically if not directly indirectly. While the closing of the Russian Section is an inconvienence, it offers an opportunity for expansion that has the potential to bolster production in home countries and lower the cost of various raw petroleum products to a level that lowers the bottom line of manufacturing costs worldwide.

While we all agree that we certainly aren't going to close the line the reroute will definitely make its presence known in our economy. If we have the numbers correct from our estimates we can stave off a minirecession if we begin expansion projects within six months. I have heard many good ideas on where the line needs to expand to today but what I haven't heard is who or how we are going to pay for it. The Holy Republic would like to see the line stretch to the Southern coast of Premier Zhao's lands so that a service terminal can be constructed offshore to meet the expanding needs of SE Asia and some of our holdings in that region. We are prepared to finance this portion of the line that we expect to cost a minimum of 10 Billion dollars and pending our gracious hosts okay, we even have companies available to assist in the construction. I have brought Mr. Collin Tweed with me today, President of the Hawdawg Central Bank and Securities. He has infinite knowledge of the financial needs of this proposed project and he even tells me we have money available to other countries should they need it to finance there portion of the construction cost associated with the move.

Thank you."

Wells set himself back down in his chair, he hoped he wasn't too forward with his proposals but he wanted to get them aired before folks offered up too many routes. He also hoped the financial backing he offered would intice the EastAsians to allow the SE Asian line to develop.

John C. Ionesis simply listened quietly to the various heads of state that had so far spoken at the conference. Despite feeling a little outranked, as he was only the Secretary of Trade in the COH, he felt the Fuhrer had made the right decision in not attending. The Secretary himself had been pleased to attend the conference, few people from the COH had ever set foot in Eastasia, never mind meeting the Premier. In any case the Russian leader would be at the meeting, and it had become a somewhat de-facto policy in the Commonwealth that the Fuhrer never be anywhere near any Russian leader, let alone sit in a conference room looking eye to eye.

When Prime Minister Wells had finished speaking, Ionesis leaned forward and clicked the mic in front of him, looking down at a prepared statement to make sure he had it right.

"Gentlemen, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Hirgizstan I would like to publicly thank the Russian Federation for, hopefully temporarily, closing the Eurasian Line."

Ionesis smiled slightly at the bemused look on the faces of the other delegates. Before any could speak, he continued. "Yes, you all did hear correct. My own Department has produced trade forecasts that, if fulfilled, will actually see the Hirgizstanian economy grow despite the closing of the line. Oh, it is true that there will be an initial loss of revenue, but having the biggest trade surplus in the world means a lot at times like this." Ionesis smiled again. He now had everyone's full and interested attention. After a quick sip of water he continued.

"Since the loss of trade on the Eurasian Line means that some nations will not be getting certain supplies, the Commonwealth can, and has already begun to, step in and fill those supply needs. The forecast for a new pipeline requires long work and the building process itself will create new jobs and oppurtunities, not just in Hirgizstan, but elsewhere in the world. The disruption in the line has also, pointed out by the Emperor, got many of us thinking about expanding the line outside of its current parameters. Greater African Treaty Organization infastructure is extremely strong and reliable, to further enhance it with an African expansion of the Line would bring many benefits to the nations therein. Expansion across the Atlantic, aswell, will simply mean more jobs, more oppurtunities and more revenue."

"So, as I said at the outset, I would like to thank the Russian leadership for closing and disrupting the Great Eurasian Line, because all they have done is ensure a better and brighter future for the world economy, and one that will no longer be subject to the whims of their corrupt and bankrupt machinations."

Ionesis took a breath and another bigger drink of water before easing back into the chair with a quiet smile, wondering what the rest of the discussion would be like.

Igor Stepanov listened quietly to the Hirgizstani and then spoke.

"Anymore such undiplomatic stabs in our direction and I will leave here this moment and speak no more of reopening the line temporarily or otherwise, Mr. Ionesis. Our government is neither corrupt, nor bankrupt, in fact our economy is one of the most developed in the world and it is not up to you to pass judgment on things you obviously have no knowledge of. We have clear reasons for closing the line, the Fourth Reich is a nazi government and we have made it our policy long ago to make no dealings with such governments. It is a truly sad world we live in where nations that claim to be 'just' turn a blind eye on the atrocities committed by the Reich. Twenty years ago they have put several hundred of our citizens into their death camps and have since then made no moves to make amends for their actions. Realm of Cotland has done the same with their Ust-Orda camp, however they have apologized and believing that it is for the good of my nation I decided not to question the sincerity of that apology, seeing how things are now perhaps I was mistaken. As for your precious line, which will soon hold no relevance as the world war that is looming going to destroy the global economy and the world as we know in general, we are willing to reopen the line temporarily, but that is going against our better judgment and that means where will be conditions. The Realm of Cotland will have to lift its ban on our previous agreement on Russian troop and civilian travel through their lands in western Russia and the UER will need to reopen diplomatic relations with our nation. In addition whatever plans you make on building the line around us will have to be reported to our civil engineering committee so we can make sure that your project is done in the least amount of time possible. Also all nations of TOA must agree to attend the Voronej peace conference. This is too grave a time to be cynical and childish, for the good of your people and for the good of the world, relations between the Russian Federation and the October Alliance need to turn in a new direction. Those are things that we demand and they are non-negotiable."

Secretary Ionesis found it hard not to laugh out loud at the Russian. Talk of 'atrocity' from Stepanov's mouth was rich medicine, that he was sure no one at the table was taking. To call the Fourth Reich a Nazi government was, beyond any doubt, quite laughable, especially when a revolution in Australia had brought about the emergence of a very real National Socialist Government. But as the Secretary understood well, it was not the purview of his country to tell other legitimate countries how to run themselves. It made no sense and made for even worse policy.

"Mr. Stepanov, we have no allusions as to what the views of your nation are. Frankly, we in the Commonwealth don't much care. You piss and moan about war and how we are so very bad, and you are so very good. Well, gentlemen, was it the Layartebian Emperor or Prime Minister Wells or Prime Minister Rothsky who threatened to, and I quote, 'destroy the global economy and the world as we know in general?' Those words only issued forth from the lips of one man here, Igor Stepanov.

But according to him and his loony lackeys, we in the TOA are the ones always threatening war. Such lunacy can, and does, only come from the mouth of the deluded leaders that so threaten the stability of the globe. In fact, it is their fault we are even here at this table. According to Mr. Stepanov the Eurasian Line was closed beacause North Germania is a Nazi country, and so in order to somehow validate their deluded beliefs they decided to cut off a vital trade route that affects not just North Germania but virtually every nation on earth. And still, that man and that country blames us.

Mr. Stepanov, to demand that the UER re-open diplomatic links with you, and to demand that any TOA nation attend your conference is downright laughable. Furthermore, to have the gall to say that you need to be informed of the new route of the Eurasian Line is as delusional as it is whimsically misplaced.

I do hope you leave the conference immediately. I have no particular need of comedic relief this afternoon, and I doubt anyone else here has the time. So, Mr. Stepanov, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."

Secretary Ionesis smiled broadly and leaned back into his chair.

"I have made my demands, the Hirgizstani clown spoke his side showing once again his lack of knowledge on these matters. There is no denying of the atrocities committed by the Reich, and the circumstances that are present now force us to resolve to the option of war as where is no other left unless a diplomatic meeting is held to resolve the issues currently present. Your stabs at me and my government only speak of your own incompetence and undeserved feeling of superiority. The question on my mind is currently, why is this clown here at a diplomatic conference, you should have made your living with a traveling circus. You expect us to reverse our position simply to appease you with nothing in return? Now that is truly laughable. All of our demands are very logical and your lack of comprehension of that fact shows that perhaps you shouldn't be speaking about this matter at all. Does anyone else have anything constructive to say on the matter?"

Before anyone else could speak Secretary Ionesis jumped up and keyed his mic.

"But Mr. Stepanov, you quite clearly stated that were there any more 'undiplomatic stabs in our direction' you would leave this conference forthwith. I deliberately and unashamedly made several diplomatic stabs in your direction after you had said you'd leave. Now you have not left. Mr. Stepanov, you are in fact a liar. You cannot deny it, my reason for doing this was to show,first hand, your inherent duplicity when it comes to matters of truth and fact. I believe, Igor, that this is game, set and match."

Ionesis sat down and studied the Russian.

"You are free to believe whatever you want, I have no time for your childish games, so while you waste your time stroking your ego how about the rest of us here actually start talking business. You go ahead and enjoy yourself Mr. Ionesis. Now to the rest of you, the Hirgizstani position is clear, however they are not involved in our demands in the slightest, or they are not involved any longer. Obviously they don't quite have the grasp of importance of peace and justice. Does anyone have something of actual value to say? Otherwise I am going to follow up on my promise and leave."

OOC: What are you trying to achieve here Hirgy? Your previous statements in the Rev. thread made me think that you wanted me to reopen the line now you seem to strive for the opposite.

"Now now gentlemen, calm down. Please, save the fist-fight for after dinner tonight. I'm sure we could all use the entertainment." Roshtky said, undaunted, with a calming smile, hoping to defuse the situation. When they had calmed themselves, Rothsky addressed President Stepanov directly.

"Mister President, I just want to make one thing perfectly clear. Neither my government nor His Majesty will allow anyone, not even a sovereign nation-state such as your own, to do something that clearly endangers the safety and security of the Realm, which at present continued Russian troop movements through sovereign Cottish soil is endangering. On one hand, you increase your military and threaten world war against among others the Realm, and on the other hand you demand that the Realm open its borders to Russian soldiers as if nothing was wrong, lest it be considered an act of aggression on the Realm's behalf? This is completely unreasonable, and I don't believe you are an unreasonable man mister President. I'm sure you see my reasoning here. I'm sure you all do." Rothsky said, looking at the group of assembled leaders before he returned his attention to Stepanov.

"Mister President, some of your demands are relatively reasonable. In the interest of peace, I personally believe that diplomatic channels should be reopened between Russia and our Eastasian hosts, and that civilian trade should be resumed. After all, that's why we're all here. However, and I have the complete backing of His Majesty and the Storting in this, no further Russian troop movements shall be even considered to be permitted again until after your nation cease this senseless escalation of tensions by threatening worldwide destruction, and start respecting the sovereignty of among others the Realm.

"There must be some level of trust for conferences such as this to work. The Realm is prepared to offer such trust in the form of being willing to permit civilian trade through our territory again if the Russian Federation cease this pointless unilateral escalation and agree to keep the Eurasian Line open for the duration that it would take for us to complete the construction on the new segments of the Eurasian Line. This is a completely reasonable demand, as I'm sure you gentlemen will all agree to. The question is, will the Russian Federation?" Rothsky closed, looking Stepanov in the eyes. The old Cottish prime minister may have been frail, but he still had the penetrating look and charisma that had helped him win so many elections over the years.

"Yes, that is acceptable for now as long as you attend the Voronej peace conference there our problems can be worked out further. By non negotiable I simply meant that where is a certain line that we aren't going past but things like this that can still be worked out in the near future through more diplomatic dialogue that is acceptable. We will not cease the troop build up however until the circumstances allow us to do so."

Suddenly Igor's cellphone rang.

"Excuse me for one second."

He pressed it against his ear.

"Aha...aha...good."

He hung up, a smile emerged on his face.

"Well gentlemen the circumstances have changed, at this point if we are allowed we would like to keep our portions of the line and invest 50 billion rubles into its expansion and maintenance. I will also order Operation Stal to be ended and we shall return to our peacetime military standing. It seems we were a bit rush in judging the Fourth Reich, they are prepared for dialogue and expressed their desire to reconcile our differences. Thus there is no more reason for us to not keep the line, however we would still like to hold the conference with those members of October Alliance willing to attend, much can still be achieved."

OOC: This would be done before the call about NG's thing. Wanted to post it earlier but I erased my flash drive by mistake and couldn't recover the data.

The Emperor sat back and listening to the arguments going back and fourth, ignoring most of the bullshit as he consulted with his delegation. Finally, when it was enough, he stood up himself and called for some semblance of order. "Gentlemen. Perhaps we can offer something different. Mr. President," he turned to the Russian delegation. "The Empire and I am sure the world does not appreciate the attempts to hold the world at ransom. You speak of World War, of skorned citizens, of death camps, of nothing more than the distant past. You threaten a World War that you claim exists in growing but that nobody recognizes. You sit here and lecture us on this and that as if your own history were spotless. Every nation, in its history, has black marks and it should be the buisness of any government, present, past, or future, to reiterate the past and dredge it up unnecessarily. In doing so you will create only insurrectionist groups and hatred, which will only foster a continued past. The world is in the present, not in the past.

"You sit here and demand and demand and threaten World War if your own demands are not met. Terrorist groups do similar things as to common criminals. Nationstates do not act so foolishly and irrationally lest they become a terrorist group or a criminal regime. The only reason relations between the October Alliance and the Russian Federation are sour is because the Russian Federation has seen to it that such occurs. Continually you have threatened war with us, demanded from us, and talked ills of our alliance yet you understand our alliance as much as a fourth grader understand quantum physics. Mr. President it is time you stopped the childishness.

"The October Alliance is here and it has existed for years upon years and it will continue to exist for years upon years. If you cannot live with that fact perhaps it is time for you to retire." He turned now to the Hirgizstanian representative. "And you, Mr. Ionesis. I trust that you are here to represent the Fuhrer who we all respect but your actions here are countermining our efforts to solve this issue. Regardless of the situation as of present, it is the job of the October Alliance to protect the Eurasian Line, regardless of its locale and regardless of what occurs.

"We are here to discuss the Eurasian Line. The situation between the October Alliance and the Russian Federation is just that and does not need to include the Roman Empire, the Eastasian Republic, or the United States of Brink who have graciously attended and hosted this conference. Mr. President you called for a peace conference in Vronej. You have called this to achieve what, I do not know. You have unilaterally strived for war against the nations of the world and yet you demand we attend a conference in your capital for peace when it is you who should be coming to us. Nevertheless, I will attend this conference but not in Vronej. It must be held in a neutral locale, perhaps Johansburg in the United States of Brink, if they are willing to allow this. Forgive me if I do not sound trusting. I am not. I do not believe these are random acts or acts that have been done without careful planning and thinking. If you wish for peace then you have to make concessions. If you wish to demand from us while you hold the world for ransom then you are wasting your time.

"Now. Shall we return to the Eurasian Line?"

OOC: Common people, its not Voronejo, its not Vronej, its VO-RO-NEJ. So eh...should I reply to this?

Prime Minister Wells turned his microphone back on. He first directed his comments at the Russian President.

"Mr. President your continued flopping of positions is alarming. What kind of guarantees can you offer this group that you won't decide tomorrow, next week or when the next full moon hits that you won't decide to close your portion of the line again?"

He then fired a scathing retort to the Hirgizstan Representative.

"Sir you can rest assured when this conference concludes I will be phoning the Fuhrer and discussing in detail your outbursts and unbecoming behavior. I hope you have another line of work selected because public service for you will probably be finished."

He then turned back to the Russian President.

"We will honor our commitment to reopen the canal through Leningrad Oblast to the Arctic Ocean for commercial shipping deliveries to the Russian Federation if you are firm on your commitment to keep the Eurasian Line open. As far as the invite to a peace conference, we will only attend if its in neutral country, preferrably the United States of Brink or RomeW. This will definitely help dissolve any tensions about arrivals departures and overall security."

"Well, I guess my word wouldn't count much yet but that is only thing I can give right now, well that and 50 billion rubles in investments which would guarantee that Russian Federation is interested in protecting the line since well, thats a good amount of cash to be throwing away to build something you're not going to use. As per EoLs suggestion United States of Brink may be a good locale for the peace conference, I understand trust needs to be built and it will take more then one day. As for my alleged flip flopping, well some conversations are started in secret and we like to plan ahead for all the possible outcomes, quiet honestly I did not expect this one but here we are."

Short, plump, and with an incredibly distinguished look about him Baruti sat calmly in his chair. His country was far removed from the problems of Russia or Asia, or at least not directly. His nation was one that traded with almost every other nation on the planet and as such the affects of the Line closing began to slowly trickle down to Southern Africa. Nevertheless he was still a staunch pacifist and therefore wished to see no bloodshed. However, he did agree with Russia. TOA did have an alarming homogeny on global power. Yet Russia’s irrational saber rattling was doing little to disrupt that absolute control. So he would sit there, quiet and dignified until talk of the expansion of the line came up again.

OOC: I think you mean "hegemony". "Homogeny" simply means "the same"- "hegemony" means "influence".

IC:

"We are glad the Russian Federation has changed its mind on the closure of the Eurasian Line," started Jomo Marea, filling in for Emperor Valerius who was overseeing the Ontario elections. "We support the expansion of the line into Africa and Canada to tap into the vast resources present there, and we hope the Line can run in a continuous loop around the world so that if one part of the Line is shut down for whatever reason the Line can still be operational for all.

"As for the peace conference- as I see we are all here, why don't we conduct it here, at least on a preliminary basis. If a neutral host is required, the Roman Curia would be honoured to host the Conference."

Premier Zhao clicked his microphone, looking slightly disapprovingly at several delegates.

"Well, now that the October Alliance vs. Russia show is over for the day, I hope that we can get back to the matter of the Eurasian Line; the United Eastasian Republic agreed to hold this conference on the belief that we could actually arrange something to do with that. Since we are apparently nothing to do with the situation between the Russian Federation and the October Alliance, you can hold your 'peace conference' on someone else's time and in someone else's nation.

We welcome the decision by the Russian Federation to reopen the Line, and if anything that decision should spur us on to expansion of it; it is best to build upon a stable foundation, after all. The UER will be willing to pay for the extension of the Line down into Southeast Asia, making Singapore an end terminal for it; we are also very interested in extending it into Siberia. We will even be willing to contribute to the cost of extending the Line from Southeast Asia, through the Eurasian Federation and then down into Africa if all involved parties would be willing to extend it in that direction.

Of course, as thanks to President Stepanov for reopening the Line the UER shall be reopening diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation."

Secretary Ionesis listened quietly and without emotion to the rebukes directed his way by several of the attending delegates. Once Premier Zhao had finished speaking he leaned forward once more.

"Gentlemen, before getting on the plane to Eastasia the Fuhrer specifically told me to do one thing more than any other, and that was, I quote, 'to throw a spanner in the works'.

We in the Commonwealth don't believe in politically correct bullshit. Representatives of Hirgizstan cannot simply sit in the same room as this Russian scum," he pointed to Stepanov, "and blow kisses up his ass. Perhaps some of you believe we should be cordial to the Russians, even though they threaten us with destruction time and time again. Well, the Commonwealth doesn't believe that. Frankly, I really don't know why some of you believe the Eurasian line should still go through Russia, their closing off of it surely points to the undeniable fact that they can and invariably will do it again whenever it suits them. That's why we're here is it not?

So, my advice to all of you is to confound that man sitting across the table. Tell him, as I tell him, to take his money and his offer to re-open the pipeline and go to hell. We can build the damn pipeline to bypass his country, and we'll never be in this position again. That is the position of the Commonwealth, as articulated to me by the Fuhrer himself before I set out for this conference."

"Honestly why is this man still allowed to be here?"

Igor turned to the rest of those present and away from Ionesis.

"If the Commonwealth decides to send a buffoon with foam coming out of his mouth to a diplomatic conference they are very short sighted. So you don't believe in political correctness bullshit? Okay, I don't either, thank you for reminding me why Russian Federation never dealt with your nation, if your Furher keeps incompetent assholes like you in his staff he is really not worth my time. Besides, if you want to take this outside a bit later and get your legs broken I will be glad to indulge you, thats if you want to bypass diplomatic political correctness bullshit completely, 10 years in Spetsnaz Ioenis, if I were you I wouldn't be taking your chances, you arrogant piece of shit. Stop whining and shut the hell up, the rest of us have business. I am a national leader at an international conference hosted by a third party and YOU WILL respect me.

Now back to the topic of the day. I have a question to ask, what exactly coordinates the construction and planning of the Eurasian Line, is where some sort of an international committee that fulfills that role? Is where a one fund that all the investments for the line go to?"

Secretary Ionesis smiled once more as he watched the Russian's face go flush with anger as the old man blustered and shouted. He'd gotten him right where he wanted him.

After he calmed down and before anyone else had a chance to chirp in, Ionesis leaned forward and calmly said.

"I will now sincerely apologise to the other delegates present at this meeting. I do hope you will understand my actions in light of my explanation.

You see I simply baited Mr. Stepanov a little, adding small insults time and again. Now, as you have all witnessed, Mr. Stepanov succumbed to a small amount of annoyance exerted by myself just now, and he has exploded in anger with threats of physical violence and demands for respect.

Some of you look slightly puzzled and indeed so was I when the Fuhrer explained this little plan to me. Often we are not shown how bad or un-calculating the Russian leadership really is, they produce self-aggrandizing propaganda suggesting to us that we are the aggressors and they the victims. They want us to believe that they are always the cool heads in any situation, willing to hear out plans for peace. Well, with such little prompting, I have managed to elicit a fairly explosive response from the Russian leader, whose word is everything in the Federation. Now if he succumbs to such little prompting in a rather small situation like this, think what his reactions are like when bigger problems arise in the world.

Just because I called him a name or two and acted unprofessionally toward him has elicited a response not worthy of any political delegate. So, my question to the rest of you is- can we trust the Russians? I think you all know the answer to that. So, then why are we trusting them with one of the world's most vital trading routes?"

"Congratulations. You have reduced this conference to a sideshow."

Premier Zhao rose to his feet, sharply followed by the rest of the Eastasian delegation. He turned his attention to Secretary Ionesis.

"When you are mature enough to stop baiting the other delegates, I may be willing to hear you out. At the moment though, you are missing the point entirely. You claim that we will be trusting the Russians with the world's most vital trade route; if you had listened, you would have heard that we are building other paths for the Eurasian Line. If you had been focused on the conference, you would have understood that there will be other routes apart from the one going through Russian territory; if, as you believe, the Russians decided to close the Line again, it wouldn't matter, because there would be ways around their territory."

Zhao then turned to President Stepanov.

"If you make any more references to 'taking this outside', I will have you both ejected from this conference so that you can settle things in a 'civilised' manner. You are the elected representative of your nation, you should not lower yourself to answering obvious provocation. Now, until the two of you can stay in the same room without bitching at each other, I am leaving, as are the rest of the Eastasian delegation."

As they turned to go, Zhao shot a look at the other October Alliance members.

"If you are serious about this conference, I suggest that you take your friend to task; I did not invite you all into my nation so that you can fuck this situation up."

The Eastasians left the conference room, pulling the door shut as they left.

"Great." Rothsky said after the Eastasians left. "Now look what you did. You, mister Ionesis, by not having the politeness to follow normal diplomatic protocol and turning this very important conference into a proverbial shitstorm, and you, mister Stepanov, for letting yourself be so easily baited and provoked to such a degree. If we cannot reach an agreement and this turns as ugly as you, mister Stepanov, claimed a little earlier today, I shall hold you two personally responsible for the world's destruction."

Rothsky breathed deeply before continuing. His old heart and already high blood pressure really didn't need this crap.

"Now, let's try to recover this fiasco as best we can. Mister Ionesis, with all due respect to the Commonwealth, but if you have nothing constructive to offer, I suggest you keep your mouth shut. The same goes to you mister Stepanov. Can we all agree on that?" Rothsky asked, his tone of voice not really leaving much room for discussion. He had a lot hanging over his shoulders already, and he didn't need an insulted Russian president starting a war over the bitching of a Hirgizstanian secretary.

"More games, Mr. Ionesis, haven't you realized yet that they are pointless? And you called me, what was it, Russian scum, I do not take such racial slurs lightly. In any case Russian Federation is a nation of democracy, my executive power is checked by the Parliament, the Duma and the High Court so your attempts to make ridiculous claims about my nation based on even more ridiculous claims about my character are mute to any reasonable person. In any case I shall not lower myself to your level any longer, I will let my friend Leonid Drodzky answer to you in the future, he is a diplomat, I am a soldier, I don't have high enough tolerance for bullshit to listen to the words coming out of your mouth. Wipe that smile off your face Mr. Ionesis, you have failed to undermine our strive for progress, which comes as no surprise, we're all adults here childish games aren't going to work in convincing anyone. Now since that is settled perhaps we can call the Eastasian delegation back here and actually get some work done? Also perhaps we should also invite the Fourth Reich to attend since as I understand they are a big part of the Line being its creator. They have already agreed to attend the peace conference we will hold with certain members of The October Alliance, the Roman Empire seems to not mind too terribly it being held on its premises so does everyone invited agree to attend at that location? That doesn't concern you Mr. Ionesis, naturally after the performance you have put up today...I do hope your Fuhrer is much more of a reasonable man then you are. Now if you excuse me I will attempt to convince the Eastasians to come back to this conference."

Drodzky stayed behind but Stepanov got up and left the conference room, one of the guards pointed him in the direction the Eastasians have left and he started quickly pacing that way.

OOC: Sorry Cot I was typing this up then you posted so I didn't read yours before I wrote this. Ah, Mari, where the hell is you guys?

Ionesis could see he was getting nowhere. If the world didn't want to face up to the Russians evil, then he would leave and let the world sign a deal with the devil, at least the Hirgizstanians would not have their name tarnished.

Without a word Secretary Ionesis simply rose and left the room, making his way to the airport and the waiting 737.

Within minutes of being airborne he was on the phone to the Fuhrer.

"Yes sir, that's correct. You were dead right.

No, not a one- they all seem to be beholden to the Russians.

Of course not, they can think of me what they like. My reputation only matters to the Commonwealth, no one else.

Definetly. My Department will issue the economic reports this evening, along with what the conference was all about.

I always have believed it, and of course we can't simply sit back and let the Russians dictate policy- we won't succumb to that.

Yes, at your office first thing sir, no problem. Good evening, my Fuhrer."

Drodzky leaned towards the microphone.

"Well, while Mr. Stepanov is out getting the Eastasian delegation to come back, perhaps we should discuss a few matters concerning all of us that remain here. I am authorized to speak on Federation's behalf at this moment. So obviously if we are going to invest in the line and use it we will need new trade agreements to benefit from it. Is anyone interested in a trade agreement with the Russian Federation at this point? We fully understand that you may not be trusting of us, however through such agreements political trust is built, the more we benefit from relations with each other the less the likelihood of one of us turning against the other."

Prime Minister Wells shook his head in disgust, whatever "agenda" the COH representative brought to the table clearly had backfired in his face. Breaching international protocol in an open meeting and offending the host nations leader really didn't sit well with Wells.

"Mr. Drodzky I thought we would never get back to the business at hand. So often men cannot see the forest for the trees. I hope that irrational behavior is over for the day.

In regards to trade agreements what do you seek? We would be willing to discuss FTA's on Ores, Mining Products, etc. Perhaps even finished goods to some extent what does the Russian Federation have to offer?

In the past goods that travelled through a nation's lands via the Eurasian Line weren't hit with a tariff for interstate travel from border to border. FTA's only applied if the goods stopped and were unloaded for sale and the orginating nation had a workable FTA with the nation of orgin. The system worked very similiar to the current import export model used in most large ports. IFV tags are used in all packaging to streamline process. "

(OOC: Don't worry, they haven't gone far.....)

Stepanov would run into the Eastasian delegation as he rounded the nearest corner; Zhao smirked at his Russian counterpart.

"The Hirgizstani has left, according to my people, so shall we head back in? Your persuasive arguments have swayed me back to the cause of negotiation. I apologise for the walkout, but there was no way that a Hirgizstani was going to grab all the attention at a conference of mine; we barely know the Commonwealth, so we can't have them upstaging me in my own nation.

Come on, I'm in the mood for talking."

Zhao and the Eastasian delegation entered the room and took their seats; Zhao clicked his microphone to address the others.

"I must apologise for that, esteemed delegates; sometimes my emotions get the better of me and it's best that I seek solitude. I have an unpleasant tendency to swear uncontrollably when I'm angry and it's not a pretty sight...or sound. Anyway, shall we continue?"

"The Russian Federation has a lot to offer."

Stepanov said as he took his seat.

"Lamber, uranium, oil, coal, natural gas and a variety of other natural resources, platinum, silver, gold and so on. Also we have a lot of intellectual products to trade such as cars, computers, vacuum cleaners. For years we had to rely mostly on ourselves for production of everything within our nation as such we have a great number of companies that have an even greater variety of expertise. An FTA would be most welcome. But back to the question I asked right before I left, how exactly is the Line ran? Who is giving funds for its maintenance, what companies are those funds given to, is it a unified system or is it that every nation participating is responsible only for the part of the line that it controls? If one doesn't already exist we would like to start some sort of an emergency fund that will ensure that there is money to repair the line no matter what the circumstances are. This fund we believe should be backed up by some sort of a natural resource the value of which is unlikely to change no matter what happens to world currencies. And of course such a fund would need to be given to some sort of an international committee made up of each member state's most prominent businessmen and women that would make the line their priority and keep the global politics out of their decision making as much as possible. That is just a suggestion, perhaps something that can be discussed further."

Marea smirked, giving the kind of expression that just screamed, "I knew this would happen". He figured the Russian Federation was easy to bait, and it was only a matter of time before someone actually tried it.

"Well, we will make this clear- we will not be hosting a peace conference of any kind if we feel there will be a repeat performance of what happened today," exclaimed Marea, "We do not do things for show- we do things to get done and I expect nothing less from international politicians."

OOC: The reason actually I was suggesting Brink is that I know he's a very neutral party in these parts. Rome has been generous to host a many a conferences and Brink has some splendid things and I think he's wanted to host something on Johannesburg for quite a while now. I was hoping he would be privy to host it and I thought it would be pretty fair to keep the conferences rolling through the various nations?

The Emperor, for the moment stood silent while the Russians and Hirgizstanians exchanged words. Fury rose up in him though and the blatant disregard for diplomatic protocols were simply uncalled for, regardless of nationality. When the Eastasians began to walk out, the Emperor rose and removed himself from the room just as well, leaving behind several diplomats that were with his entourage. He had strictly left orders to his diplomats not to negotiate with the Hirgizstanian representative until things changed in the atmosphere of the room. The Eastasians were kind enough to host the conference, they did not need the bickering. When the Hirgizstanian representative left the room and the conference, the Emperor would return and he did, when the Eastasians returned.

"Mr. President, allow me to answer you questions about the Eurasian Line. The Eurasian Line was set up, originally, with pure government funding. The Empire alone pledged a total of two trillion dollars and we know that the Fourth Reich pledged more than double that amount. Luckily, this money has not gone to waste as we estimate the Eurasian Line has been a quick and powerful return of this investment and it has even given us far more than we put out for it. The Eurasian Line is not necessarily a private entity but neither is it a public one, per say. All participants to the Eurasian Line must be approved by the administrators, which is the Fourth Reich. From there, the products are shipped throughout the Line throughout its countries. There does exist an emergency fund and each participatory state is responsible for maintaining one. Defense of Eurasian Line is a joint venture between the various members. Each state is required to defend the Eurasian Line within its own borders and the various states of the October Alliance have placed forces within each other's respective territories for defense of the Eurasian Line. Layartebian forces in Kazakhstan were amongst the first units deployed. Now, revenue from the Eurasian Line is distributed throughout the participating companies and, naturally, the respective governments claim what is theirs.

"This is why the Nerotikan threat is so grave. Their moves against Kazakhstan would endanger the entire Eurasian Line and we cannot allow for that to happen. Nor can we allow them to be administrators of this venture. The instability of their state alone is reason enough to dissuade us from ever entertaining the possibility.

"Now. Regardless of the outcome of this situation and forgive me Mr. President but regardless of what the Russian Federation decides, it should not damage the Eurasian Line. I cannot begin to express the necessity to expand the Eurasian Line through China and Mongolia and throughout the Eastasian Republic, into Cottish Siberia, Roman Russia, and elsewhere in eastern Asia. In addition, it would be prudent to include the United States of Brink, who have become an economic powerhouse in southern Africa. To run the Eurasian Line through Africa would be a brilliant idea that would allow the Eurasian Line to prosper even further. The United States of Brink are one of the leading traders within the world and the Empire is privileged enough to share a Free Trade Agreement with them. By allowing their entry into the Eurasian Line and the entry of Africa, we could add an unfathomably universe of raw materials and products to the Eurasian Line. It would require little to no effort as we can easily bring the Eurasian Line from its existing portions in Northern Africa throughout the remainder of the continent. So long as the Sinai remains in Eurasian hands, I do believe it would be an acceptable land bridge just the same.

"Moving further. Expanding the Eurasian Line into North America is significantly more complex. Pipelines already run to Iceland but, from there, we have stopped. The Romans and I have been discussing the possibility of running these pipelines through Greenland, down through the Arctic Archipelago, and into continental North America. From there, we can simply expand the Eurasian Line throughout Roman, Soviet Bloc, Layartebian, and Hirgizstanian territories easily. We can include the Hawdawgians in Texas as well and should the Russians see fit, their Mexican territories can be included. From there, we can bring the Eurasian Line through the Empire and into South America, connecting nearly every region of the world, save for Antarctica and Australia, to the Eurasian Line.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is the Great Eurasian Line but we can turn it into a Line that spans not two but five continents. I do believe that is worthy of some attention."

"I see, well we have taken personal interest in resolving the Nerotikan situation, suffice to say that soon enough they will not have the leadership to continue the war. We want to see the world stable especially in our own home region, that is why we have agreed to aid the Fourth Reich in its defense against the USR, the substantial amount of troops we already had in USR territory is now moving towards Kirov with an intent of capturing the city and arresting the leadership...we have advised the USR against taking this sort of action yet they refused to listen, now they will pay for their mistakes. Fifty billion should do for an initial investment, at least to begin repairing the portions of the line going through our lands and perhaps expanding them further into our lands. Perhaps the line can be extended through our lands and into Cottish Yakutia and after that to our holdings on pacific ocean. We are also not opposed to the idea of it being expanded to LAAR, our holdings in Mexico are quickly becoming our bread busket and there is a lot more economic potential there. Thank you for clarifying for me the details, the question is now if we help build this line and fund it, who will we be trading with via this line?"

"Well Mr. President who you will be trading with is entirely up to you and your actions both here and abroad. I can promise you that it will not include the Empire if the Russian Federation continues their courses of action in the recent past. We see the Eurasian Line as the best chance for world stability. States that trade with each other do not seek to obliterate each other, it is simple politics just as like-governed states do not do the same. Samuel Hutchinson has an interesting theory on this called The Clash of Civilizations, that speaks a lot of modernity. It is not the most applicable political philosophy in the world but then, few are. However, it is an interesting read nonetheless.

"Even if the Russian Federation agrees to maintain the Eurasian Line in their Asian lands it would be wise to construct alternate routes to their east as it will alleviate the flow of supplies and will prevent bottlenecking, should the unfortunate arise within your own territories. No matter how stable our states are or appear to be, we are never more than a few steps away from total chaos. The Empire is currently dealing with this scenario and we are fighting it resoundingly."

"That is what I have been saying all along, states that trade with each other don't shoot each other. As for our relations with the Empire and the October Alliance, I guess that should be discussed at an appropriate conference already scheduled."

OOC: Just for the record Stepanov isn't old (hirgy said he is), he is 45 and thats what he looks like:

http://www.russiablog.org/AbramovichBlueTie.jpg

Neither was he shouting...have you ever heard a Russia shout? We don't shout in english, we don't really show much emotion either, I guess I should have specified those little details though. But yeah, Hirgy is an ass...hole.

Baruti was actually enjoying himself. As childish or immature as it was, most conferences were quite dull with simple lecture from all parties involved. Sadly that sort of event is inescapable in global diplomacy, but this was a delightful change if only for the entertainment. The actual problems on the other hand were quite serious. His nation and reason for being there had been addressed a number of times and it was now time for him to rise from his wonderfully comfortable chair and do what he came here to do.

He stood for a moment, quiet and stoic, and peered over the crowd. Some of the faces still held their emotions: anger, sadness, annoyance. “For this entire conference I have remained silent. I had a hard time holding my tongue. This isn’t my problem I tried to tell myself. These events are taking place on the other side of the globe. This just isn’t my problem. I thought I had myself convinced. I suppose that I have a hard time understanding how it is that small men in suits,” referring subtly to the Russian and Hirgizstan delegations, “can throw around such words, words that hold not only hate but human lives inside. Can we not understand what is at stake? Thousands of lives depend on what is said here. You were all brought here to protect what you love most in this life; your nation, your pride, your family, your honor. These things mean little if you are dead. Words are powerful only when you give them power, let us not abuse this.”

His words began to fade near the end. There was an obvious hint of sadness in his voice. His age was showing itself and he had to pause to catch his breath before continuing. He raised his head again and continued, “I would like to thank Emperor of Layarteb for his flattering comments. It is an honor to hear such from such an esteemed leader. Though we always welcome such a noble endeavor we must agree with Marea in regards to the professionalism of such an event. In matters as dire as this we cannot allow for such an incident to take place. Nonetheless if everyone deems it prudent that the United States is to hold the next conference we will be ready to meet the demands.”

His second monologue was much less moving but to the point nonetheless. He again needed a short break and didn’t mind handing over power so he could retake his seat.

“In regards to the Eurasian Line moving through South Africa I turn the floor over to someone vastly more qualified in economics than myself, Secretary of Commerce Niklaus Gerard.”

As he sat Gerard stood and made a short and awkward bow. Gerard was tall, lanky, and comically uncoordinated. His pants were often too short and his shirts too big. He had large thick glasses that nearly fell off of his nose. His eyes were wide and beady and his hair was usually uncooperative. In all it made for a pitifully nerdy look, but what he lacked in appearance he certainly made up for in intelligence. One need only look at the exponential growth of the South African economy to understand his abilities.

Fumbling with his glasses and stuttering slightly he started, “The Eurasian Line has much to benefit from South Africa. As was mentioned p-p-previously we have unfathomable amounts of raw m-m-materials,” he paused for a moment angry at himself for his speech. He took a breath and continued, “As the world’s l-l-largest s-s-supplier of gold and silver we believe, nay, know that we can increase Line profits tenfold. We have vast tracks of undeveloped land to construct our addition of the Line. As we can help the Line the Line can help us. A project such as this would put thousands to work and create hundreds of jobs for the future. Our g-g-government has enough funding to nearly cover the cost of construction for our portion of the Line.”

He paused to look around and readjust his slipping glasses. He poked them to a snug position above his nose, and glanced back at the President.

“We do, however, have one question or rather guideline before we agree to anything.”

He paused again his time wanting a response. He and the President had held the floor for a decent amount of time and wanted to halt before they accomplished everything.

Marea did his best to hold back his laughter while watching Gerard fumble around. He could tell he wasn't trained at all in speaking but did see the breadth of his knowledge. He did fault him for one thing, one thing he hoped he would improve on later- decisiveness. Statesmen shouldn't ask questions- they make statements.

Still, he thought he'd offer. "What is the guideline?"

Stepanov looked at Baruti.

"I am sorry that I have to interrupt this, I promise it will only be a minute but I feel I must respond to Mr. Baruti's comments. I realize fully well what is at stake here, believe me that serving in the armed forces of my nation for a good portion of my life gave me an understanding of what a human life is actually worth, it gave me higher appreciation for the strength and character of my people that is always present but can be seen at its best in only the most stressful, life and death situations. I treasure my people, I want to protect my people, that is exactly why I have been pushing for better relations with the Realm of Cotland and even the Empire of Layarteb amongst constant bickering from my political opposition in the Federation calling me a 'betrayer' and a 'sell out'. Many consider the Cots and the Layartebians in particular our enemies, and sometimes I agree with them, but I know that for the better future of my nation much must be forgiven and that is why I follow my line of action disregarding all the criticism. Nothing I do I take lightly and neither was my confrontation with the Hirgizstani representative. I, just as everyone else, am here to maintain the peace and to push the threat of war as far as I can. The Hirgizstani was not interested in peace and thus I did not believe he deserved being here, I do apologize if my words offended you but I meant each and every one of them. If where is a possibility for an understanding I am willing to discuss it, if where is not I can not have my time wasted."

He finished and then looked at the Brinkian economist.

"Yes, we would all like to hear what this guideline is, please continue I do apologize once again for my interruption."

The Emperor waited for the Brikian economist to finish. He leaned over to his immediate aide, covered his mouth with his right hand, and whispered "Is it just me or does he like to remind everyone that he was in the military?" He laughed as he waited. "Indeed sir. Proceede." He added, waiting now for the economist to continue.

OOC: Greetings from bumpistan...

OOC: Is this still rolling? Brink?

Gerard was secretly embarrassed at himself. His stutter was something he was born with and it sadly got worse when made to speak publicly. Yet every time he looked at the President it filled him with silent confidence. Baruti held the man in extremely high regards and showed no embarrassment on his account. Nobody could take away what he did economically for his country, one that wasn’t even his by birth. Gerard was French by birth but a naturalized citizen of the US.

“As you all know the U…U…US has been somewhat on an environmental tear. We should only think t...t...That with so much money and value placed into the line that we should assure to ourselves and our planet an environmentally safe line in regards to construction and maintenance.”

It would probably sound silly to some or even most, but to Gerard, like all citizens of the US, the environment was second to none on the priorities. He hoped his comment would be taken serious especially because he was holding so many metaphorical cards. Nevertheless he took his seat and waited for the blood to drain from his head returning to its normal flow.

"If I may say something...the position on the acceptable environmental safety differs from nation to nation. From what I understand this project doesn't mean to infringe on sovereignty of any nation participating. Perhaps I am not the best informed person to speak on this but I highly doubt that there are environmental requirements for the line and its maintenance beyond what each individual nation that the line runs through decides those requirements to be. As I said I may be wrong, but if I am that is going to be an issue since I do not want to sign away any portion of my nation's sovereignty to this project. Perhaps some of the others present here may enlighten me and Mr. Gerard on this?"

Stepanov looked around the room.

Gerard was secretly embarrassed at himself. His stutter was something he was born with and it sadly got worse when made to speak publicly. Yet every time he looked at the President it filled him with silent confidence. Baruti held the man in extremely high regards and showed no embarrassment on his account. Nobody could take away what he did economically for his country, one that wasn’t even his by birth. Gerard was French by birth but a naturalized citizen of the US.

“As you all know the U…U…US has been somewhat on an environmental tear. We should only think t...t...That with so much money and value placed into the line that we should assure to ourselves and our planet an environmentally safe line in regards to construction and maintenance.”

It would probably sound silly to some or even most, but to Gerard, like all citizens of the US, the environment was second to none on the priorities. He hoped his comment would be taken serious especially because he was holding so many metaphorical cards. Nevertheless he took his seat and waited for the blood to drain from his head returning to its normal flow.

"We don't object to the idea in principle," stated Marea after a pause for reflection, "but we would like some clarification on what it is you mean by 'environmentally safe', as our understanding of what that means may not be how your nation understands it.

"Also, aside from ensuring that the building materials- such as the pipes- are economically and environmentally viable, we agree with Mr. Stepanov in that this agreement should not abridge our sovereignty any more than it has to. Things like routing should left up to the individual nations and we should not press any agreement that would force any changes to national laws or policies, as there is no need for this agreement to do so."

Both comments were equally as frustrating. He bit hard against his lip and clenched his jaw as he tried to comprehend the statements before him. He turned again to Baruti who didn’t seem to mind at all. ‘Of course,’ Gerard thought to himself, ‘we’ve been over this, he has been over this. What was it he said…? Oh right stubborn to the point of ignorance.’ He quelled his anger and mustered up the courage to stand and speak once more.

“Of course, it is m-m-my apology that I was not clear. We thought such a trivial matter would arise. We ask not to infringe upon your sacrosanct sovereignty but only to devise a system of construction, maintenance, and flow of goods that would have minimal effect upon the surrounding environment. We feel that with the vast amount of funds being used to construct this line it shouldn’t be a p-p-problem.”

He paused to catch his breath before finishing, “Perhaps this does violate your sovereignty, but please take into consideration that your actions effect more than simply yourself.”

The Emperor knew fully about the impact of sovereignty at the discussion table. No nation was more fervent about their sovereignty than the Empire was. "Of course sovereignty is crucial. I doubt there is one person at this table who doesn't believe that. However, what this gentleman is saying is certainly a matter for discussion. The Empire feels strongly about its environment. We are not an 'eco-warrior' nation though but we do feel a certainty to protect the beautiful environments around us."

“Of course, it is m-m-my apology that I was not clear. We thought such a trivial matter would arise. We ask not to infringe upon your sacrosanct sovereignty but only to devise a system of construction, maintenance, and flow of goods that would have minimal effect upon the surrounding environment. We feel that with the vast amount of funds being used to construct this line it shouldn’t be a p-p-problem.”

He paused to catch his breath before finishing, “Perhaps this does violate your sovereignty, but please take into consideration that your actions effect more than simply yourself.”

"Well, I have no objections against your concerns Mr. Gerard," replied Marea, who felt Gerard was being quite a sophist for dodging the specifics, "however, I would like to know if the Brinkian representatives have documents spelling out the specifics of how they would like 'the system' to look like; spelling out, for example, what kinds of building supplies it would like to see used. What you are saying Mr. Gerard sounds very nice but we have yet to see something potentially operational for us to discuss."