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[Tidy Bowl Man]

Santiago

A large conference hall was prepared for guests, rooms are organized as well, and security teams are positioned appropriate to provide close and long range protection to Chilean and Foreign dignitaries. The conference room was picked in an former HAE military command center and was carefully cleaned and comfortable chairs and a large table are placed within the room. Waiting rooms for the delegations are prepared as well with televisions, snackbars, shower modules, extra clothing, and bunk beds for the foreign security men who might want to get a nap or refresh themselves while they are waiting. Metal detectors are put into place and all but two doors are sealed for the duration.


An invitation would be arriving shortly to the Peru, Para, and Colombia that invited them to a South American conference to discuss local matters.

[Curristan]

President Constanza would accept the invitation and journey the short way to Santiago. As this was his first conference he was nervous, but hopeful for what they could mean for South America. As he took his allocated seat, he waited for the other delegations to arrive. He was looking forward to what discussions would take place.

[Tidy Bowl Man]

"Welcome sir, did you get the pictures of the various buildings we have for your embassy?" Juagari asked after he waited for President Constanza to get comfortable.

[TheShammySocialist]

Ignacio de Ardanza would respond with a short note that he would gladly attend the conference in person, and also make the trip to Santiago by airplane, arriving a few days before the conference to be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the rejuvenated sovereign capital of Chile. Upon the day of the conference, after grabbing a few trinkets for his wife back home (she was a known collector of items from various locales), he would arrive at the Conference Hall with a confident stride and a polite smile upon his face. After going through the respectable amount of security, while his own escort security kept close by, he would enter the room where President Constanza and President Juagari were already seated.

"A pleasure to see you again, Michael," nodded Ignacio, greeting the Peruvian President.

"President Juagari, an honor to meet you in person," he added, with a hand outstretched to the Chilean.

[Tidy Bowl Man]

President Juagari shook President de Ardarza's hands and said, "Glad to finally meet you in person as well. I trust the accommodations we set aside for you have been comfortable? If any of your staff has personal requests please tell them to speak with my Chief of Staff Montessori." Montessori stood up made himself known and promptly sat back down without saying a word.

[dotCom]

Truth be told, Isabel Vieira found the invitation she received from the government of Chile most intriguing. A summit amongst South American nations-- it had been attempted before, and once in an effort led partially by Pará itself. An effort, needless to say, that didn't quite pan out as we'd hoped it would, she reminded herself a bit bitterly. But to compare the two situations was not only without purpose but also redundant. The political climate of South America today was no longer one of a divided, bitterly torn continent. Old warmongers had gradually faded-- some in a slow descent into anarchy, others in a flash of war and death. New nations, nations less belligerent and certainly less predisposed against one another, had taken their place at the helm of South American politics. Previous attempts had simply been a case of 'right place, completely wrong time'. No, if there was any time to call a meeting of South American nations, then it was now.

The Premier was rather looking forward to it.

Thus, as she proceeded through the necessary security measures and strode into the designated conference room, it was with an earnest smile upon her face and a confident step to her pace. She greeted each of her counterparts in turn, shook hands firmly with each, and then took a seat at the conference table herself.

[Tidy Bowl Man]

With all the parties present and accounted for, Presidente Juagari opened the conference with, "I thank you for coming to this meeting. For those of you who did not hear, should any of your delegation have a special request, please forward it to my Chief of Staff Montessori. He can organize special trips, shopping, medical care, and assist with most requests. As for us, I feel it is paramount that we get to know each other for the purposes of increasing cooperation between nations in South America. Before I launch into an earnest discussion on economic issues, does anyone wish to make a statement before we begin?"

Edited by Tidy Bowl Man, 22 January 2013 - 12:37 AM.

[Curristan]

President Constanza would reply "Thank you very much for your invitation. Yes we have received your pictures and we are still reviewing the locations we gave you, but we will give an answer soon on our choice." He would greet the other delegation, especially the Colombian President who he had liked since their last meeting. He then sat back down and listened, shaking his head when it was asked did he have an opening statement. He looked to the Para and Colombian delegations if they would say anything.

[TheShammySocialist]

"The accommodations you provide me with were more than adequate, Mr. Juagari, thank you for your hospitality," nodded Ignacio, with a polite smile. "It has been quite an experience visiting Santiago again, it was most refreshing."

When Para's premier entered the conference room, Ignacio would stand up from his seat and greet her, "A pleasure to see you again, Isabel," offering his hand to her.

---

Ignacio would stand up, clasping his hands behind his back as he spoke curtly and briefly in response to a call for an opening statement, "First off, I would like to thank President Juagari for hosting this summit in Chile, and for his hospitality in putting us up here in Santiago. Between the small group of leaders here, I'm sure that this conference will be very productive in assuring a balanced economic state for all South American nations as our community continues to slowly grow and prosper."

"Our community is a group of nations that has great potential in the world today, a world where regional blocs tend to crumble in the face of a more globalized world, but it is our cultures, heritages, and histories that draw us all together in that we are unique. Our countries are the products of colonialism and independence movements spurred on by ideas of liberalism and freedom, we host many cultures in our countries, they melt together and form a unique community that is almost unlike any other the world over. I hope that this conference forms the basis for possibly something even greater in the future, but coordinating economic efforts between this group of countries is probably the most important step we can all take towards forming the basis of a strong South American community," remarked Ignacio, looking around at the group in a thoughtful manner.

"We all have much to offer each other in terms of products and services, and I look forward to sharing mutually beneficial trade relations between all our countries, which I hope will be the outcome of this summit," he said, in a closing tone, before taking his seat and adjusting his sport coat as he sat, leaning back in his chair.

[Tidy Bowl Man]

"Well said!" Presidente Juagari said as voiced his approval. "Chile certainly supports trade relations amongst South American nations." The Presidente having said this decided to quiet down a bit as to not hoard the floor. This is South America, politeness and civility ruled the floor versus the insane antics of the Norte Americanos and their outrageous behaviors on each and every occasion when more than three of them get in a room together.

[Curristan]

President Constanza finally ventured to speak. "I have high hopes for this conference. I hope that all of us can work together to maintain peace and economic strength in South America. Peru is now emerging back onto the world stage and hopes that it can play a role in trying to maintain the integrity of the continent."

 

He paused before glancing around and then continued. "I hope that this conference heralds a new era for all our nations. I personally hope that we all can bring South America prosperity. This is our chance to bring us all a peaceful corner of the Earth where our citizens can work and flourish."

 

He then drained his glass of water and refilled it. 

[Tidy Bowl Man]

"In the interest of common good, Chile is willing to drop or reduce our import and export taxes in concert with the rest of South America with the hopes of increasing internal South American trade."

[TheShammySocialist]

"The lowering of the barriers of protectionism between our nations could be certainly beneficial to all of our nations, but I do believe that every nation should be allowed to keep certain goods as 'monopoly' items for state domestic consumption and export. All of our nations are unique and can provide different goods and services with one another," said Ignacio, in an even tone as he looked around the conference table. "Not only should we be looking to eliminate protectionism amongst our states, but infrastructure as well. Our country already has oil pipelines that run into Peru, and expanding these into other nations would certainly provide access to Colombian energy production."

 

"Colombia made it a point to improve land-based access between Peru and Colombia during its tenure as protector, and we hope that major infrastructure that cuts travel times is expanded southwards. Likewise, we are hoping to improve connections between ourselves and Para through the State of Guyana," he added, taking a sip from his glass of water. "Cooperation between border agencies and national police forces to streamline border security, curb illicit activities, and ensure ease of trade goods transit might be another agenda to consider here as well."

Edited by TheShammySocialist, 26 January 2013 - 06:14 PM.

[Tidy Bowl Man]

"The Chilean Pacific Railway runs from the extreme South of Chile all the way to the North. We would not shun the possibility of connecting directly into Peru's rail system to increase the flow of freight up and down the length of South America. As for the idea of monopoly items, I'm not opposed to it, I'd be taxing the export of copper for Chile," Presidente Juagari replied.

[dotCom]

Upon Isabel's seating, the Chilean president stood to formally begin the meeting.

 

"I thank you for coming to this meeting," President Juagari began. "For those of you who did not hear, should any of your delegation have a special request, please forward it to my Chief of Staff Montessori. He can organize special trips, shopping, medical care, and assist with most requests. As for us, I feel it is paramount that we get to know each other for the purposes of increasing cooperation between nations in South America. Before I launch into an earnest discussion on economic issues, does anyone wish to make a statement before we begin?"

 

Isabel looked from side to side to her two counterparts-- perhaps they had something to say. Costanza merely shook his head silently, though she did not expect the Colombian leader to do the same. Indeed, at the invitation to speak, he was first to stand, hands clasped behind his back as he thanked the Chilean president for hosting the summit, and began to outline his hopes and expectations for the discussion to come. Most of which Isabel found herself agreeing with. Not entirely unexpected in and of itself, either. After all, at least with regards to South American affairs, the administrations of Colombia and Pará did, if she could be so presumptuous as to say, share many goals and many policies in achieving those goals. Liberalism. Freedom. Strong South American community. Economic cooperation. Unique cultures. All that good stuff.

 

She felt it wouldn't be appropriate for her to remain silent, however, so as the Colombian president took his seat once more, Isabel stood to take the floor for a moment. "I suppose President de Ardanza's more or less summed up anything I or anybody else would have to say on the matter," she began with a smile curling at the corners of her lips, her tone fairly easygoing-- never one for formality and solemn tones, she supposed. Some folks saw it as a problem-- god knew it pissed Chairman Valverde off to no end, and hell, that alone just about made it worth it. Guy could benefit from a surgical operation to extract that stick he's got shoved up his ass. That was, however, neither here nor there-- at least regarding the stick up his ass. On the topic of pissing the chairman off? Always relevant. "I too," she continued, figuring it best to extract herself from that line of thinking, amusing though she found it. "thank you, President Juagari, for taking it upon yourself to host this summit. I can't think of a more opportune time for our nations to come together in the spirit of cooperation and friendship-- I think we all can remember a time not too long ago at all when regional tensions and petty squabbles ruined any chance of cooperation between the nations of South America. But old empires have faded away and joined their predecessors in the annals of history, and new leaders--" She gestured with her hands outward to the table at large. "-- are stepping up to write the next chapter. And I think that chapter holds a lot of promise for the future of our continent. This conference can be the first step towards a South American community that will serve as an example of peace and prosperity for the rest of the world to behold-- I don't doubt it. I'm looking forward to the outcome of this first step towards that possibility."

 

Figuring she'd said enough, Isabel left it at that, and she took her seat again as the discussion began in earnest. Juagari first brought up the subject of reducing import taxes between South American nations, which seemed a reasonable first step, and she voiced her opinion as such. To that subject de Ardanza added the possibility of sharing infrastructure, and improving land access between nations with shared borders-- cooperation between border police, coordinated opposition against crime, all suggestions that would foster cooperation amongst South American nations, and potentially drive down continental crime rates. Win-win all around.

 

"I think it's also worth considering," Isabel spoke up thoughtfully, feeling it prudent to add her own voice to the discussion. "the considerable effect education has on fostering a sense of goodwill and unity. We may want to look into student exchange programmes that would enable students to travel to Chile, to Colombia, to Pará, experience what each distinctive culture has to offer, learn first-hand what makes our nations unique and what brings them together."

[TheShammySocialist]

Ignacio would nod when the Premier spoke, emulating his own feelings of acceptance for the premier's words, as Para and Colombia had already achieved a scheme similar to the one that she seemed to want to expand.

 

"On a cooperative basis, the easing and streamlining of government regulations on foreign student visas would make such an endeavor much more achievable," remarked Ignacio, in response to the Para Premier. "Para and Colombia already share a similar scheme and our country has seen a rise in students taking semesters abroad at various educational institutions. An international effort is not all that is needed for a scheme like this to be successful, domestic government and private promotion of the merits of studying abroad need to reinforce it. Recent Colombian educational reforms have standardized foreign language requirements at various levels of education, and reward students for going above and beyond it."

 

"Much of international effort that is needed for educational exchanges between our nations lies in the administration of border security, a smooth bureaucracy with similar requirements and ease of access and use to gain educational visas between our nations. Beyond that, it is down to our national regimes to do the rest of the work, promoting study-abroad-regionally programs," he said, in a tone that made him sound significantly interested in the prospect of further educational benefits to a closer South American community.

[Curristan]

"Peru would like to reduce import taxes and would link Peru's Rail Network to Chile's to have an unbroken link down the West Coast. Peru's 'Monopoly Goods' of Copper, Silver, Gold, Potash, Natural Gas and Phosphates would be sold for state domestic consumption and with competitive prices for exporting. We have opened the Port of Callao for imports and exports.

 

However we feel that we should for now abstain from receiving students while new schools and universities are built. We feel that any foreign students would be disadvantaging to Peruvians who we are trying to provide free education to all. I hope that you all understand. 

 

Finally we will modernise as soon as we get economic growth. We will not rush this process however. Currently we are doing well and the Economy has a small increase in size since Independence already."

[Tidy Bowl Man]

"So long as foreign students can handle Chilean coeds and their evil ways, I don't see any problems."

[TheShammySocialist]

"I can understand Peru's position on this matter," remarked Ignacio, lightly, as he took a sip of water. "We will certainly be willing to host Peruvian students in Greater Colombia, and hope that in the future, our own students can partake in foreign exchanges to Peru."

 

"On the economic side of things, Greater Colombia is involved in a lot of heavy manufacturing and energy production, oil and natural gas continue to be a key source of revenue for our nation. The energy industry, oil and natural gas, are run by the Colombian state itself, and we would gladly pay for expanded pipelines into all nations sitting around this conference table today. As we already have a connection deep into Peru with this pipeline, extending it into Chile is very little of a hassle, and putting it right across the border into Para is very little trouble either," added Ignacio, looking around the table. "That will ensure stable fuel supplies for all nations, at standard costs that ensure a small profit margin for our nation, which will be turned around into social welfare programs."

Edited by TheShammySocialist, 30 January 2013 - 04:31 PM.

[Tidy Bowl Man]

The Presidente pondered the implications of extending a pipeline into Northern Chile at this exact moment. 'Right in the middle of a possible coup attempt,' the Presidente thought to himself. He then realized whatever problems in Northern Chile would long be over before a pipeline reached it. While the gas coming in has a certain appeal, the copper going out via the railway has an even stronger appeal. Chile's long dependence on foreign imports of oil had long since forced the country to rely more on public transit, perhaps more so than most countries. Government taxes discouraged the private ownership of cars to the extent that Chile's streets were a mess of bicycles and buses each and every day. All this somewhat alleviated Chile's fuel imports and geothermal power generation, along with nuclear,solar, and wind power took up the slack for home and industrial power consumption. Still, the fuel would be helpful for other industrial processes, which prompted the Presidente to reply, "Sounds like an excellent plan to me."