The Treaty of Zurich II

[Sargun II]

[b]Current Members:[/b]
Austria
Germanisk Förbund
Commonwealth of England and Maine
The United Kingdom of Celts, Franks, and Rus

[b]Current Issues:[/b][i]
Membership status of Torun
Membership status of Livonia
Expulsion of the Commonwealth

[/i][quote]
[center][size="5"]Treaty
[/size][/center]
Preamble
For the purposes of defending Europe from outside forces, we the undersigned hereby declare that we will follow these articles and defend the continent of Europe to the best of our efforts.

Article I: Non Aggression
The undersigned hereby agree to establish a policy of non-aggression. No signatory will launch military, political, or covert operations against the other.

Article II: Intelligence
If intelligence networks within the undersigned find any that threats, either foreign or domestic are imminent, they are required to instantly open diplomatic and intelligence dialogue between predetermined agencies.

Article III: Mutual Defense
An attack upon one signatory will be considered an attack upon all, and will be treated as such. If a nation is attacked for reasons exposed in other treaties, this document is hereby amended for a finite period to an Optional Defense Pact (Non-Chaining Clause).

Article IV: Optional Aggression
Should an undersigned nation choose to execute an aggressive war, economic sanctions, or otherwise; each signatory is encouraged but not obligated to support this policy by whatever means they deem appropriate. In the event of such a policy this article may constitute an independent legal casus belli.

Article V: Anti-Colonialism
If a nation extends its borders onto Europe from another continent, and it does not have a direct land border, the nation will hereby become, upon request of a member of this pact, an enemy of Europe, and therefore, the undersigned agree to remove their sphere of influence from Europe by diplomacy or force.

Article VI: Cancellation
Any signatory may cancel this treaty at any time, provided that they inform their counterpart of their intentions at least 48 hours in advance. This treaty will still be in effect during those 72 hours.

Article VII: Additions
New signatories may only be added to the pact only if all of the then-current signatories express permission and approval. All of the signatories have got veto power on the joining of new signatories to this pact.

The Undersigned:

Signed for the Germanic Union,
Triumvirate Lord Dierik Magnhildsson Martens
Triumvirate Lord Tyr Baldursson von Lübeck

Signed for the United Kingdom of Celts, Franks, and Rus,
Egalitor Brothaigh MacArthur - North United Kingdom
His Royal Highness, King Richard Dinsmore - West United Kingdom

Signed King Alfred I,
The Commonwealth of England and Maine

[b]For Austria,[/b]
[i]Maria Magdalena von Hapsburg
Empress of the Austrian Dominion, Duchess of Austria, Queen of Idaho-Montana, Princess of Slovenia, Margravine of Istria, and Protector of the Faith[/i]


[s]Signed for England,
on behalf of the Triumvirate of England,
Consul Aegis Titus Augustus[/s]

[s]Signed for the Athenian Federation,
Her Imperial Highness Ariadne Notaras, Empress of the Eastern Athenian Federation and its overseas territories
His Imperial Highness Valerio Moretti of Bourbon, Emperor of the Western Athenian Federation and its overseas territories
His Excellency Castor Baros, Chief Magistrate of the Athenian Federation
His Excellency Jean-Luc Picard, Magistrate of Foreign Affairs of the Athenian Federation
The Assembly of the People[/s]

[s]Signed for Finland,
Prime Minister Natalia Pons[/s]

[s]Signed for the Slavorussian Empire,
Justinian I, Emperor
Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister [/s]
[/quote]

Edited April 21, 2011 by Sargun

[Sargun II]

We are in need of signatures for Austria, the Commonwealth, the Hanseatic Republic, and the remaining members of the United Kingdom.

OOC: Slavorussia and England are scratched out so they can provide new signatures for their new nations

Edited April 3, 2011 by Sargun

[AironthFlamewing]

The Free City-State of Torun under the authority of the Town Council hereby requests entrance into the Zurich Pact as an observer.

[Zoot Zoot]

Signed King Alfred I
The Commonwealth of England and Maine.

OOC
Continued from my last post

IC
"Indeed, whilst I don't believe the supremacy clause should be dropped, it should be amended to be adaptable to circumstance.

I also propose that Zurich moves together under one currency. With the United Kingdom, vast as it is encompassing large portions of Europe, there is only Germany, the Commonwealth and Norway left in the alliance. I believe it would be beneficial for us to move to one currency in an effort to bring Europe closer together and increase continental trade. Moreover with most of Europe under four currencies only it would certainly make things easier financially."

The Commonwealth votes no for observer status for the City state of Torun.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

[quote]
[b]For Austria,[/b]

[i]Maria Magdalena von Hapsburg
Empress of the Austrian Dominion, Duchess of Austria, Queen of Idaho-Montana, Princess of Slovenia, Margravine of Istria, and Protector of the Faith[/i]
[/quote]

"Austria agrees with her northern neighbor in that the supremacy clause of this alliance should be dropped, furthermore, the Empire votes no against a unified currency for all members of the pact. However we do approve the entrance of Torun, as an observer."

[Yawoo]

/s/
His Royal Highness, King Richard Dinsmore

---

"The Western Region of the United Kingdom is against all of the issues on the table. There is no need for a united currency. The City-State of Turon doesn't need to be an observer, as they will never be able to hold up their end of this treaty and therefore there is no need to give them a status usually reserved for those who are working towards full membership. Finally, all members of this treaty either voted for the supremacy clause or were aware of its existence prior to signing this treaty, at that time, all options should have been considered and weighed. Now is not the time to throw away a clause that was put in place prior."

[Sargun II]

"The Northern Region of the United Kingdom is firmly against the removal of the Supremacy Clause and a unified currency. As for the City-State of Turon, I believe that you are an enclave fully surrounded by a member of this treaty. Given that your entire geopolitical nature revolves around a nation within this treaty, so forgive us if we think you should first work on improving relations and establishing yourself."

[Kaiser Martens]

"I would like to put forth to consider that in fact, the United Kingdom, although having several representatives only does have one official vote. Then again, due to the treaty mechanics in which one disagreement is sufficient to cancel a measure, this does not represent any change of power nor relevance. I would like to ask you to appoint one Spokesperson however in order to have your position be clearer at all times."

"That being said, back to the issues. We do not mind Torun having an observer position, after all, they are in the heart of Europe."

"Secondly we do not agree to form a currency union, but we do think that taking some other steps to fortify economy such as modifying certain import-export taxation rates, regulations and limitations may go a long way to help Europe grow."

"Lastly, what matters most, the supremacy clause. We simply cannot see eye to eye about it I am afraid. The Zürich Pact is supposed to be an entity to eventually allow for all of Europe to be united through peaceful means. However, the supremacy clause subverts such an idea. We are close to most nations in Europe, therefore for us it would be unthinkable to fight against any of these nations unless extreme circumstances would take place, such as, typically, massacre of civilians. To put it simply, we would like to have the ability of becoming neutral when we see fit, or otherwise aiding who we perceive to be on the right if the nation would be on the verge of utter, literal destruction. Normally this means that we tend to be ready to side with the Defender. But having the supremacy clause turns the Zürich Pact into, potentially, the Zürich Empire, or if you will, the Zürich Horde. We would really like to stay in this agreement, however, if the supremacy were not to be removed, the Althing might need to reconsider our membership in the long term. We want to, if needed, bring protection, the goal might be fine but the method used is faulty and is likely to eventually cause the continent trouble. That is all."

"Do remember however that even if we were to leave, our pact with Slavorussia would still be standing (MDP), therefore it would transfer to the UK. We would not turn our back to Europe and Zürich's members in spite of this disagreement, even if we could not at this point solve it."

[Sargun II]

"I'm more than simply curious: why did you not think of these things when the supremacy clause was introduced? After all, [b]all[/b] of your concerns are ideological in nature and all of them would have applied when writing up the clause itself. Please explain why you did not have these concerns, or voice them loudly enough, or bring this issue up at any time before this moment."

[Kaiser Martens]

"I did not mind because after having spoken to Dalmatians, they had at that point of time mentioned that they'd eventually join, therefore sealing unity. But not only did they not join, in fact, the Athenians themselves left. Additionally, there's new nations in Europe which are not a part of this either. But the fact of the matter is that in spite of the Athenian departure, we still consider them to be friends and comrades. It might all seem stupid and paranoid now with the land so quiet, but in the very long run the supremacy clause is a powder keg if all the powers of the continent are not united. Yeah. We're all sitting under power kegs. Perhaps there's no fire right now nor in the forseeable future, but someday. So we must do what's right."

[PresidentDavid]

"If the matter is approachable, the United States would like to apply to be a treaty member."

[Zoot Zoot]

The Commonwealth Votes no to the USI's application.

OOC
Sargun, gotta add signatures mate.

Edited April 5, 2011 by Zoot Zoot

[PresidentDavid]

[quote name='Zoot Zoot' timestamp='1301918917' post='2683943']
The Commonwealth Votes no to the USI's application.

OOC
Sargun, gotta add signatures mate.
[/quote]

OOC: I saw it was yes at first...

IC: "If it would not be to much to ask, I would like to know why the Commonwealth votes no to the United States joining?"

[Sargun II]

[quote name='Kaiser Martens' timestamp='1301887661' post='2683778']
"I did not mind because after having spoken to Dalmatians, they had at that point of time mentioned that they'd eventually join, therefore sealing unity. But not only did they not join, in fact, the Athenians themselves left. Additionally, there's new nations in Europe which are not a part of this either. But the fact of the matter is that in spite of the Athenian departure, we still consider them to be friends and comrades. It might all seem stupid and paranoid now with the land so quiet, but in the very long run the supremacy clause is a powder keg if all the powers of the continent are not united. Yeah. We're all sitting under power kegs. Perhaps there's no fire right now nor in the forseeable future, but someday. So we must do what's right."
[/quote]
"And we consider Germany to be friends and comrades, but if we remove the supremacy clause then we open ourselves up to conflict between us. Both of us are looking to avoid fights with friends. You admit that it seems paranoid, and the United Kingdom agrees that it is paranoid to be thinking of dropping the supremacy clause right after the Athenian departure. This is nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction, something that has never gone well in history's past. I propose before we put this measure up to a vote, we simply wait seven days and see what the climate is like. After we've had time to settle down, we talk again."

[quote name='Zoot Zoot' timestamp='1301918917' post='2683943']
The Commonwealth Votes no to the USI's application.

OOC
Sargun, gotta add signatures mate.
[/quote]
OOC: What are you even tlaking about?//

"Is there any reason you vote no without asking a single question, without looking deeper into the application one bit whatsoever?"

[Zoot Zoot]

I believe with three votes out of four against membership for the USI, their application is closed.

[PresidentDavid]

[quote name='Zoot Zoot' timestamp='1302039152' post='2684963']
I believe with three votes out of four against membership for the USI, their application is closed.
[/quote]

"And who were the other two?"

[Zoot Zoot]

Apologies, that is me not being completly with it, im due to be replaced because of retirement. Minds going back to a past voting tally.
However, with one vote your application is still closed.

[Sargun II]

[quote name='Zoot Zoot' timestamp='1302039402' post='2684970']
Apologies, that is me not being completly with it, im due to be replaced because of retirement. Minds going back to a past voting tally.
However, with one vote your application is still closed.
[/quote]

"Please illuminate the rest of the treaty why you voted no without any reason whatsoever."

[Kaiser Martens]

"I do not see how removing that would cause a conflict. As is, the conflict is given by the existance of the clause, while its removal would allow for normalization. Well, no point in putting forth any vote, you are not going to budge it seems...really, it would be for the best if the UK simply agreed to get rid of that clause...I will consult directly with our Triumvirate to see if they can come up with some other means of working around this situation. They will think of something good for us all."

[Sargun II]

[quote name='Kaiser Martens' timestamp='1302052930' post='2685134']
"I do not see how removing that would cause a conflict. As is, the conflict is given by the existance of the clause, while its removal would allow for normalization. Well, no point in putting forth any vote, you are not going to budge it seems...really, it would be for the best if the UK simply agreed to get rid of that clause...I will consult directly with our Triumvirate to see if they can come up with some other means of working around this situation. They will think of something good for us all."
[/quote]

"The United Kingdom is worried that the removal of the clause essentially puts the Treaty of Zurich into a much weaker state that is less likely to fulfill its role of unity. What is the point of promising to defend Europe from strife if we're going to open ourselves up to having individual nations put their own vindictive grudges against others over Zurich?"

[Kaiser Martens]

"It does put it in a weaker state, that is what we want to do. In this case, "weaker" is to mean more flexible. The fact of the matter is that Zürich wants to represent all of Europe, but currently, we cannot do so. We need to accept this and remove such a clause in order to show the rest of the continent that we're not simply some bloc trying to use sheer power to accomplish its tanks, to show that we respect their points of view, so that someday they may desire to participate - or return. If we take a "strong" approach instead, it could send the wrong message. We need, at this point, to use tact instead of strength. Either way, even before zürich was created we were commited to defending Europe, and that is one of the reasons why we formalized it with this, so that would not change. We will always do the honorable thing. We try for Zürich to be a stability factor, but we believe that at this point due to the clause the stability is...a lie."

[Kaiser Martens]

"Berlin has Spoken. Very well. If UK does not wishes to reconsider the removal of the supremacy clause, then we will have to put up a proposal to the other members of Zürich: Let's remove UK and then modify the clause ourselves. If this should fail, then we will undo this pact as is."

[Zoot Zoot]

The Commonwealth votes aye on Germanys proposed expelling of the UK from this alliance.

[Sargun II]

"The Northern regional government of the United Kingdom withholds comment at this time."

Edited April 7, 2011 by Sargun

[Justinian the Mighty]

“I‘d like to state for the record that the Eastern regional government of the United Kingdom is extremely offended by the Commonwealth and Germanic Union‘s vote to expel a member of this organization not because it has violated the charter, but because it doesn‘t want to vote the same way as the Germanic Union. We are especially offended by the Commonwealth, which voted with us to keep the supremacy clause, but is voting us out of the pact. What reason does Commonwealth have, what reason do any of you have for that matter?”

“I am rendered physically sick by this display today. I cannot believe, when I think about what we‘ve sacrificed and offered to sacrifice for the good of your two countries, that you would resort to this. I am ashamed to have been present when Slavorussia was asked to become a founding member of this pact. If the motion to expel the United Kingdom is successful it will likely the greatest mistake that the Zurich Pact will ever make, because it will have lost the most ardent, dedicated member.”