09-02-2018, 04:14 PM
Thursday, August 30th, 11:00
"This meeting will come to order", Smyth said politely, with a smile beaming at the various negotiators seated around the large circular table. "Today we will discuss a resolution of the civil conflict in the Lauchenoirian Civil War. We are here until 9pm this evening. The following is our agenda." He glanced down at his papers quickly and shifted his reading glasses a little better on the bridge of his nose.
"Today we shall hear only from the Rebels. From 1100 hours until 1300 hours we will hear from those claiming to be from Moore's legitimate government may speak - I leave it to their chief negotiator to decide whom shall speak and for how long. During this time, I want you to address the chair, i.e. me, on the backstory to this conflict firstly. I want to know relationships between Chaher and the rest of the government when he was Interior Minister. Historical information surrounding the communist/capitalist/socialist dynamic. All in this period. We will then break for lunch from 1300 to 1500 hours.
At 1500 hours when we resume, I want details of the Rebel operations - those you consider non-classified, though I would urge you to declassify as much as possible - that were undertaken during the conflict.
We will break at 1700 hours where I will speak to Moore 1:1 and where she will give me details of those operations that you did not deem available for public dissemination i.e. what you didn't want to disclose on front of the others. All other sides may break early for dinner, which will occur until 1900 hours.
At 1900 hours, when we return, I want the Rebels to lay out their red line issues for the resolution of the war. I then want them to decide which red line issues they are willing to throw out, or at least negotiate on. I want their plan for, not just the resolution of the conflict here, but how they would heal Lauchenoiria in the months and years ahead.
Let me stress, ladies and gentlemen, that while we do want a peaceful settlement to the problem here, a major priority for the IDU is no repeat of this kind of war in Lauchenoiria again. This is the second in a century. We will not tolerate a third."
He looked around and gazed at the faces before him.
"Tomorrow, Friday August 31st, we will follow the exact same schedule, except it will be the Junta's turn."
He turned to face the Rebels. "Shall we begin?"
15:00
"Well, I hope we all enjoyed lunch", Smyth said a little wearily. They had run out of coffee quickly - one of the delegations hogged most of it - and he hadn't had a chance to get his caffeine hit. "So, back to the Rebels. What have you go up to during the war. I want as much details as possible about your operations. I want to know how you sought out allies, how you treated PoWs. I want to know your propaganda machine. I want to know where you got your supplies.
What you can tell me here in the open I want to know. And what you can't, you'll tell me in our 1:1.
Ladies and Gentlemen, whatever the result of these negotiations, and by that I mean whether there is a Lauchenoirian government or if it's Sanctaria caretaking, there will have to be a truth and reconciliation commission of some kind; an amnesty to crimes committed during the war. It's common practice after a civil war to try to help heal divides. I tell you this because I don't want you not telling me or this conference things that you are worried will cause you harm later down the line. That's not the point of these negotiations."
He turned once again to the Rebels. "When you're ready".
17:00
Smyth sat alone in a comfortable armchair in an office located just off the main negotiation room. It was small and relatively sparse. Other than the chair Smyth himself sat on, there was one opposite him. A table sat between them, with tea and a selection of biscuits and scones. There was a map of the IDU region on the wall and a single floor to ceiling length bookcase, with old dusty books, of varying sizes and colours, scattered amongst the shelves.
He turned to his aide who was standing by the door. "Ok, I'm ready for Moore. You can wait outside with the security."
19:00
At least dinner had ample supplies of coffee. Smyth enjoyed the dinner and lunch sessions, because it enabled him to speak with all others present on a less formal and more amiable manner. He had known many of them from when he was Sanctaria's Foreign Secretary, not to mention when he was Secretary General of the Council of IDU States. He liked to think they trusted in him and he hoped he had proven impartial to them. He asked them about their children, their spouses. How affected they were personally by the war. He sensed a longing for it to end across all sides. He knew a compromise could be met.
"Ok", he said firmly, speaking to the room. "The last session of the day. The Rebels may set forward their plan to end the war and to heal Lauchenoiria. I know all of you came here with a list of red line issues, but let's be realistic and frank. You may give me a list of three red-line issues, and I want you to prioritise them from least to most important."
"This meeting will come to order", Smyth said politely, with a smile beaming at the various negotiators seated around the large circular table. "Today we will discuss a resolution of the civil conflict in the Lauchenoirian Civil War. We are here until 9pm this evening. The following is our agenda." He glanced down at his papers quickly and shifted his reading glasses a little better on the bridge of his nose.
"Today we shall hear only from the Rebels. From 1100 hours until 1300 hours we will hear from those claiming to be from Moore's legitimate government may speak - I leave it to their chief negotiator to decide whom shall speak and for how long. During this time, I want you to address the chair, i.e. me, on the backstory to this conflict firstly. I want to know relationships between Chaher and the rest of the government when he was Interior Minister. Historical information surrounding the communist/capitalist/socialist dynamic. All in this period. We will then break for lunch from 1300 to 1500 hours.
At 1500 hours when we resume, I want details of the Rebel operations - those you consider non-classified, though I would urge you to declassify as much as possible - that were undertaken during the conflict.
We will break at 1700 hours where I will speak to Moore 1:1 and where she will give me details of those operations that you did not deem available for public dissemination i.e. what you didn't want to disclose on front of the others. All other sides may break early for dinner, which will occur until 1900 hours.
At 1900 hours, when we return, I want the Rebels to lay out their red line issues for the resolution of the war. I then want them to decide which red line issues they are willing to throw out, or at least negotiate on. I want their plan for, not just the resolution of the conflict here, but how they would heal Lauchenoiria in the months and years ahead.
Let me stress, ladies and gentlemen, that while we do want a peaceful settlement to the problem here, a major priority for the IDU is no repeat of this kind of war in Lauchenoiria again. This is the second in a century. We will not tolerate a third."
He looked around and gazed at the faces before him.
"Tomorrow, Friday August 31st, we will follow the exact same schedule, except it will be the Junta's turn."
He turned to face the Rebels. "Shall we begin?"
15:00
"Well, I hope we all enjoyed lunch", Smyth said a little wearily. They had run out of coffee quickly - one of the delegations hogged most of it - and he hadn't had a chance to get his caffeine hit. "So, back to the Rebels. What have you go up to during the war. I want as much details as possible about your operations. I want to know how you sought out allies, how you treated PoWs. I want to know your propaganda machine. I want to know where you got your supplies.
What you can tell me here in the open I want to know. And what you can't, you'll tell me in our 1:1.
Ladies and Gentlemen, whatever the result of these negotiations, and by that I mean whether there is a Lauchenoirian government or if it's Sanctaria caretaking, there will have to be a truth and reconciliation commission of some kind; an amnesty to crimes committed during the war. It's common practice after a civil war to try to help heal divides. I tell you this because I don't want you not telling me or this conference things that you are worried will cause you harm later down the line. That's not the point of these negotiations."
He turned once again to the Rebels. "When you're ready".
17:00
Smyth sat alone in a comfortable armchair in an office located just off the main negotiation room. It was small and relatively sparse. Other than the chair Smyth himself sat on, there was one opposite him. A table sat between them, with tea and a selection of biscuits and scones. There was a map of the IDU region on the wall and a single floor to ceiling length bookcase, with old dusty books, of varying sizes and colours, scattered amongst the shelves.
He turned to his aide who was standing by the door. "Ok, I'm ready for Moore. You can wait outside with the security."
19:00
At least dinner had ample supplies of coffee. Smyth enjoyed the dinner and lunch sessions, because it enabled him to speak with all others present on a less formal and more amiable manner. He had known many of them from when he was Sanctaria's Foreign Secretary, not to mention when he was Secretary General of the Council of IDU States. He liked to think they trusted in him and he hoped he had proven impartial to them. He asked them about their children, their spouses. How affected they were personally by the war. He sensed a longing for it to end across all sides. He knew a compromise could be met.
"Ok", he said firmly, speaking to the room. "The last session of the day. The Rebels may set forward their plan to end the war and to heal Lauchenoiria. I know all of you came here with a list of red line issues, but let's be realistic and frank. You may give me a list of three red-line issues, and I want you to prioritise them from least to most important."