09-03-2018, 01:21 AM
Day 3
11:00
Charissa Clarke had not slept at all. She'd spent half the night on the phone to people in Lauchenoiria, ensuring them of her loyalty to Lauchenoiria over Kerlile. She'd spent the other half of the night on the phone to people in Kerlile, assuring them of her loyalty to Kerlile. And truthfully, Charissa Clarke did not know where her loyalties lay. But, in this, the two countries had the same aim. So, Clarke stood.
"As Ms Moore said yesterday," she began, "the roots of this conflict date back to the communist revolution. After Villanueva liberated Lauchenoiria from the forces of capitalism, people like Moore continued to spread misinformation to trick the people of Lauchenoiria into handing the bourgeoisie their power and wealth back..."
Clarke continued, spouting the communist history of Lauchenoiria. In the back of her mind, though, her thoughts ran wild.
"In 1993, capitalist political parties were legalised as a result of this deliberate campaign of propaganda by these underlying forces. And then in 2017, the capitalism referendum took place. The fairness of this vote has been cast into doubt, and several sources have claimed that the vote may have been rigged. As such, Laura Moore, voice of democracy, seems to be something of a hypocrite.
Moore's government shut down all attempts at investigation into the conduct during this referendum, and then have the audacity to claim they support democracy for our country while carrying out operations such as this. Moore's conduct throughout this time, and her blatant disregard for democracy, are among the reasons the vote of no confidence took place, and are among the reasons why it is legitimate.
In March, after Moore invited the Skodenian "˜peacekeepers' into the country, the situation became untenable. Here she was, inviting foreigners onto Lauchenoirian soil and giving them unfettered access to weapons. Then they go and kill Lauchenoirian citizens and Moore's propaganda channels praise them for "˜defusing the situation'.
There was a piece of important news that seemed lost in the chaos of the early conflict. One of those who took hostages in Melissa City survived, and was imprisoned by Moore's government, as was right. However, this individual was kept in solitary confinement for no real reason, and not allowed any visitors. One of Chaher's associates managed to contact this individual, who told us he was hired by Moore to carry out this attack, in order to provide an excuse to clamp down on communism!"
"Absurd!" Laura Moore cried out. Smyth cleared his throat. "Sorry," Moore muttered, not meaning it.
"President Leanna Walker played an integral part in this anti-communist strategy. Which is why Suleman Chaher had to organise the vote in secret. He, and his supporters, of which I was one from the start, knew that if Laura Moore and Leanna Walker were to discover the plan, that he may find himself imprisoned on some absurd charge of "˜treason' or something before it could go ahead."
"You are literally just listing the things that your side has been doing!" Moore interrupted again.
"Ms Moore, do not interrupt," Smyth warned.
"When we discovered Leanna Walker's part in the assassination attempt on Ms Noguera," Clarke continued, nodding in the direction of the Aelurian delegation, "we had no choice but to begin impeachment proceedings. Which, of course, is what provoked Leanna Walker into stirring up hatred of communism in the international community, and starting this war."
Charissa Clarke sat down. Truthfully, she didn't care about communism, or capitalism. She had been raised for this purpose though, and this she would carry out until her inevitable death. Which, she thought, may be sooner than I think. She didn't know where that Jae Chung had got her information, but Councillor Patel had assured her that if it came from Jennifer Hale, then Hale would regret it. Clarke was certain this was accurate.
15:00
Charissa Clarke stood once more.
"My Secretary for Defence, Niall Watson, will now give you further information about our operations throughout the war."
Niall Watson wasn't a tall man, and though a lifelong communist, he wasn't overtly authoritarian. In all honesty, since the accusations the previous day, he'd had a sour taste in his mouth about working with Clarke. Still, he couldn't let the capitalists take over the country without a fight.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "throughout this war, we have carried out a number of operations designed to defend Lauchenoiria against the numerous foreign armies that have seen fit to invade our shores. We..."
He continued, going into elaborately boring detail about the operations that were already public knowledge, and skimming over those that were not. Clarke admired his skill, he made it flow well. She was all too conscious of Councillor Patel, however, sitting beside her, annoyed she'd allowed the man to speak.
"... ended when we arrested the terrorists behind the attacks along the Fleura-Yervia boundary. And I think that's all?" Watson finished, and turned to Clarke.
"Yes, thank you Niall. Kerlian Defence Minister Lucia Casci will now provide information on Kerlile's operations during the war."
Lucia Casci was conventionally beautiful, and whenever she was out of Kerlile, men stared at her. In these instances, she would either feel flattered or wish she could sentence them to twenty years of hard labour. Occasionally, both. She wondered if non-Kerlian women ever felt the same way.
"Thank you, Prime Minister. Throughout this war, Kerlile has assisted the Lauchenoirian government against the illegal forces who object to the Communist Party's proposed feminist reforms..."
Lucia Casci continued to spout about how much better for women Clarke's government would be, while Clarke sat there, starting to get very tired from her lack of sleep. Eventually, Casci got onto the subject of POWs.
"Throughout the fighting in Yervia province, Kerlile indeed has taken a number of prisoners of war, particularly in Usera following the surrender of rebel forces there. Some of these were transported to Kerlile, I will add at the objection of the Lauchenoirian government. This is because temporary facilities in Yervia province were insufficient. We assure you, they are being provided with adequate food and shelter."
Charissa Clarke stood once more.
"Comparatively, my government has few prisoners of war, as the groups operating in the territory we have held have been unlikely to surrender. The so-called "˜political prisoners' Ms Moore has referred to are in fact being held in pre-trial custody before their trials for crimes of treason, crimes Ms Moore has also been accused of."
Clarke took a sip of her water, mirroring Moore's actions the previous day on purpose. She remembered from facing Moore on a TV debate before the capitalism referendum that people mirroring her made her uncomfortable.
"And now to the matter of alliances. One of Suleman Chaher's first moves once elected was to begin improving diplomatic relations with Kerlile, a nation Lauchenoiria has historically been on less than friendly terms with," Clarke began, notably ignoring the allegations against her in respect to Kerlile, "and as such, when the war began, Kerlile offered him their support. Gonhog, on the other hand, reached out to Chaher without any prompting."
Clarke had been the one to convince Chaher to reach out to Kerlile. She thought it better to omit this information, following yesterday's little show.
"In terms of... disseminating information, the media was nationalised as a reversal of the privatisation policy of Moore's government following the illegal referendum. It was... unfortunate that those on Breakfast in Buttercity were arrested in that manner, however it was necessary to prevent the spread of treasonous and inaccurate fake news. Following this move, we made sure the media put out information that did not compromise national security or encourage terrorism," Clarke said, eyeing Moore on the word "˜terrorism'.
"I will now mention what I know of Chaher's assassination. On the first of July, former President Leanna Walker shot Suleman Chaher in the chest. He initially survived this wound, in Buttercity Central Hospital, however passed away twenty-five days later. Moore alleged yesterday that Chaher was poisoned, and last night I saw evidence that suggests this analysis could be correct.
We did not investigate this possibility at the time, it seemed obvious that the wound was the cause of death, and the operation in which complications led to his death. The Buttercity Police Department has been asked to begin an immediate investigation. As to the allegations made by Moore that I am responsible for his death, those I utterly refute.
During his hospitalisation, Suleman Chaher entrusted me with the day-to-day running of the country and of the war. He asked President MacKenzie to appoint me as Prime Minister in the event that he was to pass. This is what happened. I would like to assure Ms Moore, Suleman Chaher's death will be investigated."
17:00
"...Travelling into Sanctaria on false documents is a serious offence -- and one we don't extend diplomatic immunity to. I'd suggest you talk."
Charissa Clarke swallowed. She hadn't been expecting Jae Chung's little revelation, and Councillor Patel still hadn't been able to determine where the information came from. Clarke took a deep breath.
"The documents are not false. In 1983, at the age of fourteen, I appeared at the door of a children's home in Lauchenoiria. I presented no documents of my own. I was taken in as a ward of the state. In Lauchenoirian law at the time, because I was a minor with no parents, it didn't matter where I was from or who I was before that. Those documents and that registration of my admission into state care gives me legal status in Lauchenoirian law."
Clarke spoke the words with confidence, even though the legality she spoke of was only attained through the exploitation of loopholes in Lauchenoiria's messed up 1980s legal system. It didn't matter. Whoever she was at birth, she was legally Charissa Clarke now.
"Shall we continue onto other matters?" Clarke asked.
"Please do," Smyth said.
"Everyone probably suspects this already, but the rebels aren't completely wrong when they say we may have... permitted the Kerlians to take the lead in situations where it was likely a large number of POWs would be captured. We didn't have the facilities and were operating under certain constraints that Kerlile was not, in terms of resources."
And Kerlile is not in the WA, Clarke implied but did not say.
"I suppose you want to know about Leanna Walker's execution," Clarke sighed. "Well, President MacKenzie signed an executive order temporarily legalising the death penalty. This is within Lauchenoirian law during a state of emergency. Walker was tried and found guilty of murder following Chaher's death. The execution was carried out in a secret location for reasons of security. Her body is buried near that location."
Clarke leaned back in her seat.
"Which brings me to Chaher's death. We have seen the same evidence as Moore, it seems like he was indeed poisoned, which means Walker's execution was a great miscarriage of justice that I will forever regret. But I did not poison him. I know, with the Kerlile allegations and everything that it seems suspicious, but I swear it was not me."
Clarke was used to being accused of terrible things. Most of the time, the accusations were pretty accurate. She did not like being accused of things she didn't do. She swiftly moved on.
"There is one last matter, and it's an odd one, because I don't believe the rebels are responsible. President MacKenzie disappeared. He was in his residence, surrounded by security and he just vanished. The CCTV footage shows nothing, and I'm at a loss to explain it. Of course, this leaves the country without a President, as he had no vice president yet. Probably not what you want to hear, but I genuinely have no idea what happened. We've been keeping it secret so as to avoid a panic, but..."
Clarke shrugged. She truly didn't know what had happened to MacKenzie. She hoped he'd resurface soon, however.
19:00
"I maintain that my government is the legitimate government of Lauchenoiria. Going forward, we would like to rebuild the nation, as if the rigged capitalism referendum had never happened, improve women's rights in the country and move on from this tragic conflict. I fear, however, that we are a long way off of this. Before I outline what we wish to see happen, I will allow both the Gonhogian and Kerlian delegations time to speak. Saul?"
Saul Roberts stood up slowly, his age clearly on display for all to see. Although he could be mistaken as senile for his age, Roberts was far from it, still in the intellectual prime of the early 70s. He took a deep breath in, then began to speak, quietly but firmly.
"My honoured delegates, Gonhog is not here to be the main negotiators for the future of Lauchenoiria, however we are here, and so, I feel it to be best if we at least stated some things.
In response to Conternia's previous comments of their own military bases in Lauchenoiria: I could not disagree more, and I am sure I am not alone when we say that. While the delegation of Gonhog wholeheartedly agrees in the notion that Lauchenoiria needs some support coming out of this conflict, establishing military bases and operations is a step in the wrong direction, especially if that responsibility lies on one nation. Instead, we propose that either the esteemed nations of Sanctaria and or Bears Armed send peacekeepers to Lauchenoiria and possibly MP if the situation does not improve.
Regarding the charges against Prime Minister Clarke: while we certainly do not deny that you have such evidence to support this nor do we say that Clarke is completely innocent, Gonhog entered this war to end the conflict at hand, and although Chaher's rise to power was indeed... fishy, it was legal to the extent of our knowledge, which made Chaher the rightful ruler. In summary, while Clarke and Kerlile should be held accountable if those allegations are proven correct, the Communist takeover was legal, and therefore Gonhog still supports the Federal Government of Lauchenoiria.
Both of these things, however, are off topic to the topic, this being the aftermath of this conflict. The delegates of Gonhog believe that the Lauchenoirian government should be the ones in charge of the rebuilding of both their government and country. One last thing that we believe should be noted: if we cannot agree on a compromise, future talks will be held and Lauchenoiria will be temporarily partitioned between north and south.
That is all, thank you." With that, Saul sat back down and took a sip of water, and returned to his usual notetaking position, pen and pad in hand.
Clarke nodded towards Councillor Patel, who rose gracefully to her feet. The Councillor was dressed in the traditional Kerlian manner, trousers and shirt covered with an impractically long, thin coat-like garment. The garment was clasped together at the top with a brooch fashioned into the Seal of the Council or Kerlile. In her own country, the brooch would bear the Patel family seal, but abroad she was a representative of the Council.
"Honoured delegates," she began, her voice sounding smooth and silky, "the Matriarchy of Kerlile involved ourselves in this war because we saw a chance. A chance for our neighbour, Lauchenoiria, to free itself from the shackles of patriarchy and embrace a future in which women do not have to live in fear of the men they share the streets with.
It devastates us to have to sit here, knowing that the change we dreamed of in the country may not come to fruition. Our relationship with our neighbour has been fraught with difficulty throughout history, and it has been our hope throughout this time that this could improve. For many years, the previous governments of Lauchenoiria have kidnapped our citizens, forcing them to remain living under the misogynistic conditions in the country.
Suleman Chaher, and later Charissa Clarke's government has finally allowed Kerlian families kidnapped under this policy to unite. Women and girls who wish to live in safety in a land where they are not considered inferior have been allowed to cross the border and make a new life where they choose. These things would not have been possible under the government of Laura Moore.
It is our wish that, whatever the outcome of these negotiations, any foreign citizen who has in this period chosen of her own free will to remain in Kerlile is permitted to do so. It is our wish that Kerlian citizens can return home, and it is our wish that Lauchenoiria continues to move towards a less patriarchal society.
On a perhaps less pleasant note, I am forced to address the point made yesterday regarding Josephine Alvarez. Laura Moore seems under the mistaken impression that Josephine Alvarez is being held as a prisoner of war. This is inaccurate. Josephine Alvarez is awaiting trial for the attempted assassination of President Joanna Greenwood. We can provide Moore with the documentation that supports this if she wishes. Thank you."
Councillor Patel sat down, making sure to smile at each and every woman in the room, and to pointedly avoid the gaze of all the men. All the men, that is, except Smyth. Make him feel special, she thought.
Charissa Clarke stood up once more.
"I will now outline our "˜red lines' as you call them. Our first priority is a cancellation of the result of the rigged capitalism referendum. The country will never know peace for as long as that result stands. It was not run fairly, and therefore the result cannot and should not be respected. We also want a full investigation into the conduct in the first referendum, preferably with legal ramifications for those found guilty of misconduct."
Charissa Clarke stood up a little straighter.
"Our second priority is that Lauchenoiria is respected as a sovereign nation. We cannot allow foreign troops to remain on our soil if we want to move away from this conflict," she said, eyeing the Conternian delegation. "We cannot allow foreign interference in any elections. Lauchenoiria is our nation, not anyone else's colony. All foreign troops must be immediately withdrawn."
Clarke noted that Moore had seemed very displeased with their first point, though she seemed almost to agree with the second.
"Our third priority must be, if there is going to be fresh elections, an assurance from all the capitalist parties that they will not sell off our country to the highest bidder. This means the 1959 constitution, which would prevent such an occurrence, must be respected. If Moore is allowed to rewrite the constitution, she will remove all the safeguards that ensure Lauchenoiria will always belong to Lauchenoirians, not to foreign businessmen."
Clarke paused once again for a drink of water, before launching into a description of how funds could be (forcibly) diverted from the wealthy businesses that had been operating in the country to ensure the poorest citizens had food and shelter following the war.
Charissa Clarke wasn't quite sure how the day had gone. Only time would tell. Meanwhile, she was going to ask the Kerlians to come up with an emergency extraction plan. Just in case her documentation wasn't recognised.
11:00
Charissa Clarke had not slept at all. She'd spent half the night on the phone to people in Lauchenoiria, ensuring them of her loyalty to Lauchenoiria over Kerlile. She'd spent the other half of the night on the phone to people in Kerlile, assuring them of her loyalty to Kerlile. And truthfully, Charissa Clarke did not know where her loyalties lay. But, in this, the two countries had the same aim. So, Clarke stood.
"As Ms Moore said yesterday," she began, "the roots of this conflict date back to the communist revolution. After Villanueva liberated Lauchenoiria from the forces of capitalism, people like Moore continued to spread misinformation to trick the people of Lauchenoiria into handing the bourgeoisie their power and wealth back..."
Clarke continued, spouting the communist history of Lauchenoiria. In the back of her mind, though, her thoughts ran wild.
"In 1993, capitalist political parties were legalised as a result of this deliberate campaign of propaganda by these underlying forces. And then in 2017, the capitalism referendum took place. The fairness of this vote has been cast into doubt, and several sources have claimed that the vote may have been rigged. As such, Laura Moore, voice of democracy, seems to be something of a hypocrite.
Moore's government shut down all attempts at investigation into the conduct during this referendum, and then have the audacity to claim they support democracy for our country while carrying out operations such as this. Moore's conduct throughout this time, and her blatant disregard for democracy, are among the reasons the vote of no confidence took place, and are among the reasons why it is legitimate.
In March, after Moore invited the Skodenian "˜peacekeepers' into the country, the situation became untenable. Here she was, inviting foreigners onto Lauchenoirian soil and giving them unfettered access to weapons. Then they go and kill Lauchenoirian citizens and Moore's propaganda channels praise them for "˜defusing the situation'.
There was a piece of important news that seemed lost in the chaos of the early conflict. One of those who took hostages in Melissa City survived, and was imprisoned by Moore's government, as was right. However, this individual was kept in solitary confinement for no real reason, and not allowed any visitors. One of Chaher's associates managed to contact this individual, who told us he was hired by Moore to carry out this attack, in order to provide an excuse to clamp down on communism!"
"Absurd!" Laura Moore cried out. Smyth cleared his throat. "Sorry," Moore muttered, not meaning it.
"President Leanna Walker played an integral part in this anti-communist strategy. Which is why Suleman Chaher had to organise the vote in secret. He, and his supporters, of which I was one from the start, knew that if Laura Moore and Leanna Walker were to discover the plan, that he may find himself imprisoned on some absurd charge of "˜treason' or something before it could go ahead."
"You are literally just listing the things that your side has been doing!" Moore interrupted again.
"Ms Moore, do not interrupt," Smyth warned.
"When we discovered Leanna Walker's part in the assassination attempt on Ms Noguera," Clarke continued, nodding in the direction of the Aelurian delegation, "we had no choice but to begin impeachment proceedings. Which, of course, is what provoked Leanna Walker into stirring up hatred of communism in the international community, and starting this war."
Charissa Clarke sat down. Truthfully, she didn't care about communism, or capitalism. She had been raised for this purpose though, and this she would carry out until her inevitable death. Which, she thought, may be sooner than I think. She didn't know where that Jae Chung had got her information, but Councillor Patel had assured her that if it came from Jennifer Hale, then Hale would regret it. Clarke was certain this was accurate.
15:00
Charissa Clarke stood once more.
"My Secretary for Defence, Niall Watson, will now give you further information about our operations throughout the war."
Niall Watson wasn't a tall man, and though a lifelong communist, he wasn't overtly authoritarian. In all honesty, since the accusations the previous day, he'd had a sour taste in his mouth about working with Clarke. Still, he couldn't let the capitalists take over the country without a fight.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "throughout this war, we have carried out a number of operations designed to defend Lauchenoiria against the numerous foreign armies that have seen fit to invade our shores. We..."
He continued, going into elaborately boring detail about the operations that were already public knowledge, and skimming over those that were not. Clarke admired his skill, he made it flow well. She was all too conscious of Councillor Patel, however, sitting beside her, annoyed she'd allowed the man to speak.
"... ended when we arrested the terrorists behind the attacks along the Fleura-Yervia boundary. And I think that's all?" Watson finished, and turned to Clarke.
"Yes, thank you Niall. Kerlian Defence Minister Lucia Casci will now provide information on Kerlile's operations during the war."
Lucia Casci was conventionally beautiful, and whenever she was out of Kerlile, men stared at her. In these instances, she would either feel flattered or wish she could sentence them to twenty years of hard labour. Occasionally, both. She wondered if non-Kerlian women ever felt the same way.
"Thank you, Prime Minister. Throughout this war, Kerlile has assisted the Lauchenoirian government against the illegal forces who object to the Communist Party's proposed feminist reforms..."
Lucia Casci continued to spout about how much better for women Clarke's government would be, while Clarke sat there, starting to get very tired from her lack of sleep. Eventually, Casci got onto the subject of POWs.
"Throughout the fighting in Yervia province, Kerlile indeed has taken a number of prisoners of war, particularly in Usera following the surrender of rebel forces there. Some of these were transported to Kerlile, I will add at the objection of the Lauchenoirian government. This is because temporary facilities in Yervia province were insufficient. We assure you, they are being provided with adequate food and shelter."
Charissa Clarke stood once more.
"Comparatively, my government has few prisoners of war, as the groups operating in the territory we have held have been unlikely to surrender. The so-called "˜political prisoners' Ms Moore has referred to are in fact being held in pre-trial custody before their trials for crimes of treason, crimes Ms Moore has also been accused of."
Clarke took a sip of her water, mirroring Moore's actions the previous day on purpose. She remembered from facing Moore on a TV debate before the capitalism referendum that people mirroring her made her uncomfortable.
"And now to the matter of alliances. One of Suleman Chaher's first moves once elected was to begin improving diplomatic relations with Kerlile, a nation Lauchenoiria has historically been on less than friendly terms with," Clarke began, notably ignoring the allegations against her in respect to Kerlile, "and as such, when the war began, Kerlile offered him their support. Gonhog, on the other hand, reached out to Chaher without any prompting."
Clarke had been the one to convince Chaher to reach out to Kerlile. She thought it better to omit this information, following yesterday's little show.
"In terms of... disseminating information, the media was nationalised as a reversal of the privatisation policy of Moore's government following the illegal referendum. It was... unfortunate that those on Breakfast in Buttercity were arrested in that manner, however it was necessary to prevent the spread of treasonous and inaccurate fake news. Following this move, we made sure the media put out information that did not compromise national security or encourage terrorism," Clarke said, eyeing Moore on the word "˜terrorism'.
"I will now mention what I know of Chaher's assassination. On the first of July, former President Leanna Walker shot Suleman Chaher in the chest. He initially survived this wound, in Buttercity Central Hospital, however passed away twenty-five days later. Moore alleged yesterday that Chaher was poisoned, and last night I saw evidence that suggests this analysis could be correct.
We did not investigate this possibility at the time, it seemed obvious that the wound was the cause of death, and the operation in which complications led to his death. The Buttercity Police Department has been asked to begin an immediate investigation. As to the allegations made by Moore that I am responsible for his death, those I utterly refute.
During his hospitalisation, Suleman Chaher entrusted me with the day-to-day running of the country and of the war. He asked President MacKenzie to appoint me as Prime Minister in the event that he was to pass. This is what happened. I would like to assure Ms Moore, Suleman Chaher's death will be investigated."
17:00
"...Travelling into Sanctaria on false documents is a serious offence -- and one we don't extend diplomatic immunity to. I'd suggest you talk."
Charissa Clarke swallowed. She hadn't been expecting Jae Chung's little revelation, and Councillor Patel still hadn't been able to determine where the information came from. Clarke took a deep breath.
"The documents are not false. In 1983, at the age of fourteen, I appeared at the door of a children's home in Lauchenoiria. I presented no documents of my own. I was taken in as a ward of the state. In Lauchenoirian law at the time, because I was a minor with no parents, it didn't matter where I was from or who I was before that. Those documents and that registration of my admission into state care gives me legal status in Lauchenoirian law."
Clarke spoke the words with confidence, even though the legality she spoke of was only attained through the exploitation of loopholes in Lauchenoiria's messed up 1980s legal system. It didn't matter. Whoever she was at birth, she was legally Charissa Clarke now.
"Shall we continue onto other matters?" Clarke asked.
"Please do," Smyth said.
"Everyone probably suspects this already, but the rebels aren't completely wrong when they say we may have... permitted the Kerlians to take the lead in situations where it was likely a large number of POWs would be captured. We didn't have the facilities and were operating under certain constraints that Kerlile was not, in terms of resources."
And Kerlile is not in the WA, Clarke implied but did not say.
"I suppose you want to know about Leanna Walker's execution," Clarke sighed. "Well, President MacKenzie signed an executive order temporarily legalising the death penalty. This is within Lauchenoirian law during a state of emergency. Walker was tried and found guilty of murder following Chaher's death. The execution was carried out in a secret location for reasons of security. Her body is buried near that location."
Clarke leaned back in her seat.
"Which brings me to Chaher's death. We have seen the same evidence as Moore, it seems like he was indeed poisoned, which means Walker's execution was a great miscarriage of justice that I will forever regret. But I did not poison him. I know, with the Kerlile allegations and everything that it seems suspicious, but I swear it was not me."
Clarke was used to being accused of terrible things. Most of the time, the accusations were pretty accurate. She did not like being accused of things she didn't do. She swiftly moved on.
"There is one last matter, and it's an odd one, because I don't believe the rebels are responsible. President MacKenzie disappeared. He was in his residence, surrounded by security and he just vanished. The CCTV footage shows nothing, and I'm at a loss to explain it. Of course, this leaves the country without a President, as he had no vice president yet. Probably not what you want to hear, but I genuinely have no idea what happened. We've been keeping it secret so as to avoid a panic, but..."
Clarke shrugged. She truly didn't know what had happened to MacKenzie. She hoped he'd resurface soon, however.
19:00
"I maintain that my government is the legitimate government of Lauchenoiria. Going forward, we would like to rebuild the nation, as if the rigged capitalism referendum had never happened, improve women's rights in the country and move on from this tragic conflict. I fear, however, that we are a long way off of this. Before I outline what we wish to see happen, I will allow both the Gonhogian and Kerlian delegations time to speak. Saul?"
Saul Roberts stood up slowly, his age clearly on display for all to see. Although he could be mistaken as senile for his age, Roberts was far from it, still in the intellectual prime of the early 70s. He took a deep breath in, then began to speak, quietly but firmly.
"My honoured delegates, Gonhog is not here to be the main negotiators for the future of Lauchenoiria, however we are here, and so, I feel it to be best if we at least stated some things.
In response to Conternia's previous comments of their own military bases in Lauchenoiria: I could not disagree more, and I am sure I am not alone when we say that. While the delegation of Gonhog wholeheartedly agrees in the notion that Lauchenoiria needs some support coming out of this conflict, establishing military bases and operations is a step in the wrong direction, especially if that responsibility lies on one nation. Instead, we propose that either the esteemed nations of Sanctaria and or Bears Armed send peacekeepers to Lauchenoiria and possibly MP if the situation does not improve.
Regarding the charges against Prime Minister Clarke: while we certainly do not deny that you have such evidence to support this nor do we say that Clarke is completely innocent, Gonhog entered this war to end the conflict at hand, and although Chaher's rise to power was indeed... fishy, it was legal to the extent of our knowledge, which made Chaher the rightful ruler. In summary, while Clarke and Kerlile should be held accountable if those allegations are proven correct, the Communist takeover was legal, and therefore Gonhog still supports the Federal Government of Lauchenoiria.
Both of these things, however, are off topic to the topic, this being the aftermath of this conflict. The delegates of Gonhog believe that the Lauchenoirian government should be the ones in charge of the rebuilding of both their government and country. One last thing that we believe should be noted: if we cannot agree on a compromise, future talks will be held and Lauchenoiria will be temporarily partitioned between north and south.
That is all, thank you." With that, Saul sat back down and took a sip of water, and returned to his usual notetaking position, pen and pad in hand.
Clarke nodded towards Councillor Patel, who rose gracefully to her feet. The Councillor was dressed in the traditional Kerlian manner, trousers and shirt covered with an impractically long, thin coat-like garment. The garment was clasped together at the top with a brooch fashioned into the Seal of the Council or Kerlile. In her own country, the brooch would bear the Patel family seal, but abroad she was a representative of the Council.
"Honoured delegates," she began, her voice sounding smooth and silky, "the Matriarchy of Kerlile involved ourselves in this war because we saw a chance. A chance for our neighbour, Lauchenoiria, to free itself from the shackles of patriarchy and embrace a future in which women do not have to live in fear of the men they share the streets with.
It devastates us to have to sit here, knowing that the change we dreamed of in the country may not come to fruition. Our relationship with our neighbour has been fraught with difficulty throughout history, and it has been our hope throughout this time that this could improve. For many years, the previous governments of Lauchenoiria have kidnapped our citizens, forcing them to remain living under the misogynistic conditions in the country.
Suleman Chaher, and later Charissa Clarke's government has finally allowed Kerlian families kidnapped under this policy to unite. Women and girls who wish to live in safety in a land where they are not considered inferior have been allowed to cross the border and make a new life where they choose. These things would not have been possible under the government of Laura Moore.
It is our wish that, whatever the outcome of these negotiations, any foreign citizen who has in this period chosen of her own free will to remain in Kerlile is permitted to do so. It is our wish that Kerlian citizens can return home, and it is our wish that Lauchenoiria continues to move towards a less patriarchal society.
On a perhaps less pleasant note, I am forced to address the point made yesterday regarding Josephine Alvarez. Laura Moore seems under the mistaken impression that Josephine Alvarez is being held as a prisoner of war. This is inaccurate. Josephine Alvarez is awaiting trial for the attempted assassination of President Joanna Greenwood. We can provide Moore with the documentation that supports this if she wishes. Thank you."
Councillor Patel sat down, making sure to smile at each and every woman in the room, and to pointedly avoid the gaze of all the men. All the men, that is, except Smyth. Make him feel special, she thought.
Charissa Clarke stood up once more.
"I will now outline our "˜red lines' as you call them. Our first priority is a cancellation of the result of the rigged capitalism referendum. The country will never know peace for as long as that result stands. It was not run fairly, and therefore the result cannot and should not be respected. We also want a full investigation into the conduct in the first referendum, preferably with legal ramifications for those found guilty of misconduct."
Charissa Clarke stood up a little straighter.
"Our second priority is that Lauchenoiria is respected as a sovereign nation. We cannot allow foreign troops to remain on our soil if we want to move away from this conflict," she said, eyeing the Conternian delegation. "We cannot allow foreign interference in any elections. Lauchenoiria is our nation, not anyone else's colony. All foreign troops must be immediately withdrawn."
Clarke noted that Moore had seemed very displeased with their first point, though she seemed almost to agree with the second.
"Our third priority must be, if there is going to be fresh elections, an assurance from all the capitalist parties that they will not sell off our country to the highest bidder. This means the 1959 constitution, which would prevent such an occurrence, must be respected. If Moore is allowed to rewrite the constitution, she will remove all the safeguards that ensure Lauchenoiria will always belong to Lauchenoirians, not to foreign businessmen."
Clarke paused once again for a drink of water, before launching into a description of how funds could be (forcibly) diverted from the wealthy businesses that had been operating in the country to ensure the poorest citizens had food and shelter following the war.
Charissa Clarke wasn't quite sure how the day had gone. Only time would tell. Meanwhile, she was going to ask the Kerlians to come up with an emergency extraction plan. Just in case her documentation wasn't recognised.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax