British Hidalgo

[Lord Zephyr]

Upon hearing the news of the conference and the new nation the Republica responded with slightly increased border patrols between Paraguay and the Republica. Defcon would be increased to 3, and the military waited for British Hildago to make a move. As the Republica's primary representative in the SAO, Antonio Silva would be sent to the conference. 

[lkfht]

OOC- Attention all interested contractors!!!

 

A new thread has been started and will be used for ALL military contracts.

 

Thanks.

[lkfht]

*CLASSIFIED*

 

To: Department of Defense

From: Office of the President

Subject: Stand-Down Order

 

Secretary Sabb,

 

It is my understanding that I have ordered the following:

1. Deploy 2 squadrons of F-35 from the 4th Fighter Wing to patrol our airspace and to defend it if needed

2. Deploy several P-8 Poseidon aircraft over our northern border to further detect   foreign troop movements

3. Deploy the 6th Infantry Division to our Northern Border

4. Activate all reserve units

 

As a sign of good faith and to ease tensions to our neighbors I am issuing a stand down order. All military aircraft are to return to their bases, the 6th Infantry Division is to return to its fort, and all reserve units that were activated are to be deactivated. In addition I am lowering our DEFCON level to 4.

 

Thank you,

 

Jose Gomez

President

To: All South American Governments

From: Department of State

Subject: Military Tension

 

To whom it may concern,

 

President Gomez, from Treefort, has issued a stand down order to all British Hidalgonian troops and airmen. He has done this to ease the tensions and as a sign of good faith. The British Hidalgo wishes nothing but a fruitful, friendly, and long lasting relationship with your countries. We strive for peace and cooperation.

 

Sincerely,

 

Celestina Scavo

Secretary of State

[Captain Enema]

Administrator Carlos Del Fina, Senior Advisor Roberto Montessori, and Major General Benito Chavez enter the conference room and take a seat. A live feed of the conference is then opened and beamed directly to the offices of the leaders of the rest of South America in the interest of transparency. Further, an open line is made avalaible for the participation of leaders who aren't able to attend.

 

Del Fina opens the meeting by commenting, "Thank you everyone who can attend, as we all know the normal process of a nation achieving statehood in South America tends to follow a fairly specific proceedure. At this point in time in the interest of fairness we will point out that there are no specific reports or alerts that should indicate something is amiss within the former nation of Paraguay. None the less, the concerns voiced by Para of the instability of the region are valid."
 

With that being said Montessori takes over and says, "Many of you know me as the former advisor to the Presidente of Chile, rest his soul in peace, and the Administrator of the South American Organization. Calling upon my sources via an informal network of contacts of police officers and other government workers along the border of British Hidalgo I've been informed that in general things seem fairly stable and calm."

 

Major General Benito Chavez then takes charge and says, "Our satellites indicate nothing overly amiss with the military deployments. From what our analyst report there are no major build ups of forces and so forth. While it does take time to gather intelligence, the early findings show no cause for alarms. Ranger teams along the border have detected no signs of major movements across the border. This too is a positive sign that the government of British Hidalgo is working to resolve the situation. These certainly are not the actions of say... the Arica Insurrection lunatics in former Chile."

 

Del Fina then retakes the floor and directs his comments towards the British Hidalgo representative, "You've some explaining to do, what can you tell us about British Hidalgo and why should South America not be worried that this is just another bunch of fruitcake Paraguayans? Why are you different?"

[lkfht]

Administrator Fina,

 

I understand the history of my country and the turmoil and instability it has caused, however I can assure you that my government wishes for nothing but peace in the region. We are serious about our relations with the other South American countries and wish for mutual understanding and cooperation. The people of British Hidalgo and of the entire continent are tired of civil unrest and wish for a stable and democratic government. I want to personally assure you that the recent build up of our Armed Forces is simply for defense purposes only. We, as a nation, convey a sense of trust towards our neighboring countries and so my President has issued a stand down order to the military in reference to recent troop movement. Our economy is booming domestically with major defense and infrastructure projects. We are doing our best to stabilize our economy and international relations.

 

There is no "sugar coating" of a very real and present threat to our national security and to all South American nations, and that is the influx of illegal drug smuggling into our country from unoccupied territory. This has the potential to disrupt our national economy and the economy of the entire continent. It must be dealt with as swiftly as possible.

 

Finally, I will conclude with this, WE the people of British Hidalgo wish to develop strong, long lasting, and productive relations with every country represented at this meeting. We have experienced first hand that freedom, true freedom, is never free. We have paid the price for our independence, with lives lost, women and children killed, and thousands displace. We will do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again. We ask for this representative body to recognize our sovereignty as an independent nation.

 

Sincerely,

 

Celestina Scavo

Secretary of State

 

 

A second plane from the British Hidalgo has arrived with more government officials. Those who have arrived in time for the second day of negotiations are Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs- Mr.  Zack Morino, and Secretary of Defense- Tamie Sabb and Secretary of Commerce- Mercedes Vierling.

Edited August 13, 2013 by lkfht

[Captain Enema]

Del Fina scratches his head a bit and then consults the database that is publicly avaliable to all South American Protectorate members. He does a keyword search on drug smuggling and is rewarded with a handful of returns. He then leans over and whispers to Montessori who makes a quick call. A few words later Montessori turns to Del Fina and shrugs as if he were confused. Del Fina scratches his head again and looks over at Celestina Scavo and responds, "We are somewhat alarmed by this claim of drug smuggling. Perhaps you are unaware that the South American Organization has a publicly avaliable server for all police reports. My search has found only a few reports drug smuggling in the entire South American Protectorate, which seems to be well in line with the normal low level of activity after the Peruvian Civil War wiped out most of the more notorious drug cartels."

 

He then turns to address the current head of the South American Organization (ooc- dotcom, not sure if you are in the room or via cam, so roll with it) and says, "You sir are in charge of the South American Organization, what can you tell us about this situation? Likewise, what can the Imperio and Argentina (zephr and voodoo) add to the discussion on this problem of drug smuggling?"

 

He then looks back to the representative from British Hidalgo and says, "Perhaps ma'am given the infancy of your government and police organization you've been given faulty information. It's to be expected in all the confusion of achieving nationhood. Let us see what the SAO and others have to add to this conversation."

 

With that said he nods to Major General Benito Chavez and taps  single finger to his nose. Major General Chavez returns the nod and quietly leaves the room.

[lkfht]

Yes, I am quite sorry. My information was mixed up and for that I apologize. There are a small amount of drug related crimes in our nation, but very few.

Celestina Scavo
Secretary of State

[Lestari]

Alice dos Santos, the successor of Director Montessori to the helm of the South American Organisation, led a busy life. She oversaw the machine that, in her own admittedly fairly idealistic view, held South America together-- enabled the will of its people to be carried out to specification, provided a body through which aid and avenues for relief could be funneled, to sovereign nations and to unaligned regions of the continent, and acted as a neutral third party to amicably settle continental disputes. It was anything but an easy job, but she had expected nothing less when she'd stepped up to the challenge-- as long as the work she and the Organisation did benefited somebody in South America, it was worth the sweat.

 

In her years acting in the capacity of the Director of the SAO, Alice had, needless to say, seen and heard of a lotta weird shit. Paraguay's rise-and-fall, rinse-and-repeat shenanigans were up there. Individual tales of mishaps across the protectorate often trumped some of the wackier antics that plagued continental politics from time to time. But an entire nation rising up from the protectorate right under the SAO's collective nose? And somehow that information had failed to reach her? Oh, somebody was gonna sting for that. Whoever had decided 'meh, fuck it, a sovereign nation claiming land in SAO protectorate? Doesn't really sound like something the Director needs to hear' was gonna burn hard.

 

But that was not an immediate concern. That was something that could and would be dealt with in time. For now, the issue of British Hidalgo had to be resolved.

 

Thus was it that Alice found herself in Treefort, the quaintly peculiar but admittedly charming capital of the nation of the Amazon Republic, standing by in a designated conference room as representatives from the so-called British Hidalgo entered the room, along with representatives from the Republic of Pará, the Imperio Republica, and, naturally, the Amazon Republic. Her predecessor, Montessori, was also present, providing his own input on the situation. For Alice's own part, she preferred to hear all angles involved before stating her own, and so she bade her time, taking meticulous note of all points brought up by the assorted representatives, until Administrator Del Fina of the Amazon Republic turned to her.

 

"You, sir--" (Alice raised an eyebrow-- [I]It appears I am in dire need of a... uh, what do they call it, a makeover?[/I]). "-- are in charge of the South American Organization, what can you tell us about this situation?"

 

Alice cleared her throat, and spoke in a forthright voice. "Though this situation has taken the Organisation woefully by surprise-- a communication breakdown that will, needless to say, be investigated and ameliorated immediately-- I can say with a confident degree of certainty that there have been no reports throughout the protectorate indicating substantial drug smuggling activity. We made certain to make thorough, intensive investigations into drug activity throughout the continent following claims by the late USCA that drug smugglers were active in Colombia, but those claims were proven quite mistaken, and since then we've maintained a stringent vigil for such activity."

She paused briefly, and then continued. "Regarding specifically the matter of British Hidalgo... Well, the data regarding the territory the Hidalgo administration has claimed indicates no worrisome telltale signs of instability-- subsequent to Paraguay's final collapse, the Organisation assisted in the production of stable, solid infrastructure and political institutions for democratic leadership. However, such matters are rarely so straightforward as to be predicted accurately in their course. As it stands, I cannot claim our current information leads the Organisation to suspect this nascent administration's ability to provide competently for the people of its designated territory."

 

((I deliberately excluded any reference to the whole 'revolutionary war against Britain' thing, because that simply can't have happened-- Britain has never colonised South America in CNRP, and something that major can't be passed off as canon, much less recently. Other members of the SA community can and should, of course, weigh in on this opinion, but I believe you should retcon any mention of a revolutionary war against Britain and consider a different origin.))

[Captain Enema]

"Well then, mistakes happen, I'll mention the drug smuggling issue no more, let us turn our attention to other important matters. What can be related of the democratic process British Hidalgo underwent to form a government? Was there a fair vote? Are there voting records available?" Del Fina asked of the representative from British Hidalgo.

 

Del Fina then looked over at Montessori and nodded to him. Montessori sighed and left the building. He's sympathetic to the plight of Alica De Santos as the far flung regions of the South American Organization could be difficult to keep track of. Later, after this mess is resolved, he plans on suggesting to Del Fina that the Amazon Republic's contribution of funds to the South American Organization be raised. With that in mind he leaves the conference room with a little trepidation as the walkway to the data communications center is a rather disconcerting one hundred feet off the ground.

 

Once in the communications center he relates what just transpired to the Major General who in turn orders the 1st Amazon Republic Army to stand down from its war footing. Had the conversation gone differently the leadership of British Hidalgo would have just been arrested and the invasion of the former nation of Paraguay immediately commenced. Both of them decide that neither of them get paid enough for this nonsense and vow to demand pay raises.

 

ooc- I'll go along with ignoring the revolutionary bit if everyone else will. No need to make a big thing out of this. Perhaps we can help lkhf work this into the personal story of his characters somehow.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Tidy Bowl Man

[lkfht]

OOC- I would greatly appreciate it!

 

The President taps the microphone to see if it is working and says to the other delegations, "The legislature of the government along with state governments have had a fair vote. The Judicial is appointed by myself with the approval of the Senate, and after negotiations with the indigenous and European settlers it was decided that myself and George Patterson lead the Executive. The President and Vice President have a 4 year term, there will be an election to fill the President's post in 4 years. The cabinet is appointed by me and approved by both houses of the Chamber of Freedom."

 

After concluding this statement he turns to Alice, "Madam I apologize for the breakdown in communication, and I assure you that once everything is sorted out it will never happen again."

 

The President then sits back and whispers to his aide to bring in the Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs- Mr.  Zack Morino.

[Captain Enema]

"The records for the legislative vote and any and all records for negotiations of any sort will need to be made available for examination by the members of the South American Organization. Please have them copied over to the South American Organization public database, that will save time. Further. I also request the opportunity to send a team of Amazon Republic National Police Investigators to Paraguay to conduct private interviews. Of course the South American Organization and members of the South American Organization are invited to participate in these interviews. To forewarn you, the team will reserve the right to interview people of their choosing and not people put forth by your emerging government," Del Fina requested and informed at the same time.

Edited August 14, 2013 by Tidy Bowl Man

[lkfht]

My staff has transmitted the records for the legislative vote and any and all records for negotiations of any sort so that they will be made available for examination by the members of the South American Organization, as per request.

 

As for the request for the Amazon Republic to send National Police Investigators to British Hidalgo to conduct private interviews, I would need further details on what they would be asking about. I have no problem with your selection on the interviewees, however foreign nationals are not allowed to posses firearms in our territory, so they will have to be unarmed.

 

- President Jose Gomez

[Captain Enema]

"What they ask is for them to ask and they'll ask it in private. It's not a negotiable point, checks need to be made to ensure this was a peaceful democratic transition. Those being interviewed need to be assured that their comments are being made privately for their safety," Del Fina replied as he motioned for one of his assistants to start combing through the records to gain a clear picture of what has transpired.

 

The assistant and a large staff of intelligence analysts would begin carefully examining the records looking for discrepancies and other items of interest.

[lkfht]

That is no problem, you have the permission of my government to proceed.

- President Jose Gomez

Edited August 14, 2013 by lkfht

[Captain Enema]

Del Fina's assistant quietly enters the room and hands Del Fina a small piece of paper which Del Fina discretely reads.

 

Sir,

Eveything looks in order, no obvious signs of fraud.

Del Fina folds the piece of paper and tucks it away. He then looks at his assistant and says, "Haven't you some place to be?"

 

"Sir?"

 

"GO forth to Paraguay and don't come back till you've ascertained if this was a peaceful democratic process of the machinations of a tinpot dictator," Del Fina orders his assistant.

 

"Yes sir," the man replied as he slipped out of the room to meet up with the team of investigators before getting on a plane to Paraguay.

 

Del Fina then looks over at the Paraguayan representatives and says, "This shouldn't take too long, a few days at the most. Until then you'll be treated as our guests. My Chief of Staff has organized a few local eco-tours, a tour of one of our Trade Colleges where your students will be training, and a very rare opprotunity has presented itself for a hunting trip. Once the team has returned we'll meet back here and go over the results. I will say that so far you've been extremely cooperative, the signs seem promising from the intelligence gathered, and so forth. With this in mind I suspect there will be nothing to worry about."

[lkfht]

I thank you for your continued cooperation as well.

[Captain Enema]

A few days later...

 

"Ladies and gentlemen, I trust your tours and hunting trip were to you liking. As you know the team sent conduct interviews within Paraguay returned this morning. I have in my hands the results of their investigation," Carlos Del Fina said as he made the relavent documents avaliable either electronically or in hard copy to all members of the South American community. "You'll note that other than the expected levels of grumbling and grousing that is tendency of all men, the interviews turned up no allegations of elections conducted inappropriately. It is the Amazon's Republic's position that the affairs of Paraguay seem in order and that they be recognized by the nations of South America as an independent nation. Comments or concerns should be voiced at this time.."

 

 

ooc- I'll give it 24 hours before badgering dotcom into recognizing the results, if you have any comments or concerns.. post them now.  After 24 hours we I should hope we will be about where we need to be to let Paraguay re-DoE.

[Lestari]

The premier verified all sources, checking them against information obtained by Paráense investigations and by the South American Organisation, before conveying her approval of Paraguay's independence. The SAO too would indicate strongly that its findings illustrated a Paraguay that was very much prepared for independence and capable of competent leadership, and that its sovereign administration had been democratically elected.

[lkfht]

The President gets up and thanks all delegates for their time here and leaves the conference room. He rides in a limousine to the airport with his staff and boards P-1A (President 1 Airplane) a modified Boeing 777. As the plane taxis to the runway the President relaxes knowing that he has done all he can to ensure the independence of his country and now awaits for confirmation. The plane takes off and heads back to Paraguay.

Edited August 16, 2013 by lkfht