North Pacific Territorial Dispute Conference

[Ascoobis]

North Pacific Territorial Dispute Conference

As the desperate race for fossil fuel deposits continues throughout the world, tensions are reborn in the oil-rich region of Beringia, between the Republic of Washinton and the Dragomerian Empire, over the newly discovered deposits. After the move of private Washintonian oil rigs into the region, the Dragomerian Islands claimed the area as a part of their nation. After which the Dragomerian Navy began an offensive approach to end the 'intrusion'. An uneasy ceasefire has been called, as the effort to resolve the issue diplomatically begins.

To prove to the world that its prominence remains intact, the Ascoobian Government has offered to host a conference between these nations to resolve the crisis and ensure that the crisis does not occur again. The CoMG(Council of Military Governors) voted for the proposed conference to not take place in the Emperor's Darkmount Palace, in respect for the recently deceased.

Instead, Bear Claw Fortress in Ascoobis' Darkmount Imperial Conservation Park is proposed. Unknown to most, the fortress was the place of the crucial turning point in the victorious Battle of Darkmount.

At Bear Claw Fortress

General Antonio Sierra stood on the eastern terrace of Bear Claw Fortress. Watching the sunrise with a porcelain mug of plain, black coffee in his grasp. With the permanent scowl etched on his scarred face. A feature that has only seemed to deepen in intensity in the last several weeks. Emperor Carlos Jimenez had been a close friend to him. Almost a father figure. Even if it hardly showed on the outside, his soldiers knew that he was mourning and made efforts to leave him to his lonesome when he was particularly quiet. Which was why he found himself alone this particular morning. On the perimeter of the castle, a platoon of Challenger 2 Tanks were on seen patrol. A pair of F-17 Cobras could be seen flying in the distance. Several thousand meters above the tree line of the thriving Darkmount Imperial Conservation Park. However, what could be described as the most particular sight within his field of vision was a large circular impression in the wall alongside the entrance. Approximately 1.5 meters in diameter. Under this odd sight was a large plaque. Which according to his memory, read "Forgiven, but Never Forgotten".

Since the death of the Emperor, the Armed Force's martial law has been holding the country together. However, even General Sierra could tell that it won't hold forever. The mental caused by the extended military occupation has already caused anxiousness in several Ascoobian communities. It wouldn't be too long before dissenter organization would begin to form. He knew he had to put together a plan to bring a more permanent stability to the country.

It was then when another man opened the sliding door walked onto the terrace and stood silently for the General to turn his attention to him, that his train of thought was broken. Knowing that it couldn't be one of his own officers, at least not without an emergency, he turned around to face the new presence. A clearly older man with hollowed cheeks and a grim, sullen expression dressed in Naval Blue Service Dress and topped off with peaked cap. When Antonio turned around, the first thing he noticed was the array of medals over his left breast pocket.

After waiting for the man to speak, he did so himself.

"Good morning to you as well Francis."

"That is Grand Admiral to you, General."; sharply corrected Francis.

"Now, Grand Admiral Knot, I know that you can't be here to discuss 'the formalities' with me. Why willingly walk into my domain? A phone-call or e-mail should have sufficed." asked the General with a raised brow. Already suspicious of his rival's intentions.

"As I could tell from the your definitions of a....domain and preferred morning beverage. You Decagonians seem to like things done the old fashioned way. I could see why you were that fossil's 'favorite'."; sneered Knot.

"I will not allow you to speak of our majesty in such a manner. Not as long as you're in my presence, Praxian. Now, tell me what you came here for and leave my base." spoke a cross Sierra.

"Temper, temper there. Very well Sierra. It has always been fun to push your buttons. It's not like it could be considered treason anymore. Anyways, I am to inform you to that the Dragomerians accepted our offer to meet with the Washintonians here. They'll be here within the week. Just to let you know, some of the other Councilors aren't pleased with your offer. Believing it may open up old wounds. Good day."

Sierra gave a sigh of frustration and did to put aside his anger to comprehend the situation. " Don't worry about that. The Dragomerians are a proud people and I'd rather not give them a reason to gloat on their supposed invincibility right on our home territory before the remaining heads of our government. I'll be sure to have things set up here. You and the others must make sure to prepare things in your cities for your absences. All 20 of you will be needed here to represent our country."

"All right, General. You'll have your way this time. This 'field trip off of the HMS Imperial had better be worth my time."

"Careful Knot. Some might start thinking that you're using that supercarrier to compensate for something."

Grand Admiral Knot did not bother to reply briskly made his way inside and to the helipad.

General Sierra sighed. Not because of Knot's prodding. He had gotten used to that a long time ago. Because he had momentarily had a flare of outrage at the disrespect for his friend. One that was no longer here to defend himself from the spiteful words of such two-headed bastards.

He knew that he had to steel his nerves. The Dragomerians were likely to try something along similar lines as well. It would not be good for the already deteriorating image that Ascoobis represents if he lost his nerve to a jab from his foes. Now in an irritated mood, Antonio finished his coffee and set off to properly prepare the Base for their guests.

RP Rules

• No Godmodding
• CoDN Only!
• No Metagaming
• No OOC Fighting(Take that to TGs)
• No weapons Discharged or used to threaten
• No murdering of other attendees
• Realistic for the Time period
• Guards or anyone other then diplomats as escorts ONLY
• Have fun!

[Dragomerian Islands]

The delegation from the Empire of Japan arrived, consisting of a number of diplomats, representatives from Japan Oil, military representatives, the Emperor and his Secretary, and a number of guards. They made their way to the meeting area and sat down (except for the guards). They waited for the meeting to begin.

OOC: Sorry for the short post. I am posting with my phone right now and it can not do long posts that well.

[Republic of Washinton]

Coming in from a long flight straight from Alexandria, D.W; the Washingtonian representatives land in Darkmount for the meeting. Among them is the General Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the General Secretary of Defense, representatives from Republic Oil, Trident Oil, Pacific Oil, several members of the Department of Energy and Fuel, and a small security detail.

They are escorted all the way to the palace where the meeting is to take place. They are hopeful to resolve the issues of disputed waters in the Chukchi Sea and get the oil companies drilling in the waters to bring in more oil to Washington.

[Dragomerian Islands]

As the Empire's delegation awaits the start of the conference, they give the Washinton delegation death stares. In front of the Japanese delegation rests folders of papers, as well as computers. The Emperor himself, is wearing his finest robes, which have gold snake paterns all over the robe.

[Republic of Washinton]

As the Washingtonian delegation finally gets seated, the delegates notice the death stares coming from the Dragomerians. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, smokes his cigar with a look of disgust and the expression on his face saying, "The hell are you degenerates looking at?"* The rest of the delegates prepare their documents, charts, business papers, and water bottles for the long day ahead.


*Not actual dialogue

[Dragomerian Islands]

As the Washingtonian delegation finally gets seated, the delegates notice the death stares coming from the Dragomerians. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, smokes his cigar with a look of disgust and the expression on his face saying, "The hell are you degenerates looking at?"* The rest of the delegates prepare their documents, charts, business papers, and water bottles for the long day ahead.


*Not actual dialogue

The Japanese delegation awaits for the Ascooban delegation. The Japanese delegation seeks to keep the Washintonian businesses out of Japanese waters. The Emperor himself was reading a book quietly, while his secretary was playing a game on a smartphone. When the Ascooban delegation arrived in the room, the Emperor set down his book while his secretary put the smartphone is his pocket. The Emperor then greeted the Ascooban delegation.

[Ascoobis]

OOC: Alright, I'm here. No need to RP my actions for me....Maybe I should make that a rule?...

The two, thick metal doors that made up the entrance slowly opened. A group of five military officers dress in formal attire entered the room in single-file. The first two in dark olive-green and two navy blue, and the last a silver or alight shade of gray. They quickly strode to a group of empty chairs around the oak table. Strategic positioned to be in between the two other parties attending, as to not appear to be closer to one side. After several minutes of preparing physical folders and signing into lightweight laptops, and what may have been impatient grumbling from the other attendees, the person sitting in between the four others, a large man, one in an olive-green suit and black tie, stood up to address the entire table.

"I apologize for any delay that the lateness of our arrival may have caused any of you. Unfortunately, the majority of our Council's members were unable to attend due to the recent developments in their assigned cities. And as such, new arrangements for our arrival had to be made. Now, without further ado, let us begin this conference's negotiations. It has come to our Council's attention that the a territorial dispute has broken between the Empire of Dragomeria and both the Republic of Washinton and its affiliated companies in the waters of Beringia. I must thank you all in advance for accepting our offer to discuss things diplomatically here, rather then escalating the situation. Now, the Council has formed a procedure on how we will discuss our negotiations. This is in order for each party involved to fully voice their cause and reasoning throughout this process. First, there will be a time for each party to speak, so we do not interrupt each other and cause a verbal altercation to ensue. This is for each party to make their case without fear of retribution or instant rebuttal. If there is something that you wish to say, but fear that you may regret when it is your turn to speak, then please write or type it so that you not do so when it is your time to speak.

Now, as this is a negotiations between two parties and an overseer, this is how the procedure will be performed; After I have finished my introduction, we shall allow one of the party's, in this meeting's case, the Dragomerians to begin presenting their case first. After, we will allow the Washintionian delegation to begin. If anyone wishes to call for a recess to plan responses or for other reasons, then please do so when it is your turn to speak. Thank you. The Dragomerian Delegation may now begin."

Tech Support Room

Several Floors above the meeting in a quiet, dark room, Ascoobian Internet Security Personnel were analyzing signals incoming, outgoing, and from within the castle for any hint of a virus, malware, or hacking attempt from their guests. The overseeing Officer yawned and thought of the tediousness of the task. However, he reminded himself that sophisticated electronic attacks were a danger ever present in the digital age. As of far, everything appeared to be normal.

[Dragomerian Islands]

OOC: Alright, I'm here. No need to RP my actions for me....Maybe I should make that a rule?...

The two, thick metal doors that made up the entrance slowly opened. A group of five military officers dress in formal attire entered the room in single-file. The first two in dark olive-green and two navy blue, and the last a silver or alight shade of gray. They quickly strode to a group of empty chairs around the oak table. Strategic positioned to be in between the two other parties attending, as to not appear to be closer to one side. After several minutes of preparing physical folders and signing into lightweight laptops, and what may have been impatient grumbling from the other attendees, the person sitting in between the four others, a large man, one in an olive-green suit and black tie, stood up to address the entire table.

"I apologize for any delay that the lateness of our arrival may have caused any of you. Unfortunately, the majority of our Council's members were unable to attend due to the recent developments in their assigned cities. And as such, new arrangements for our arrival had to be made. Now, without further ado, let us begin this conference's negotiations. It has come to our Council's attention that the a territorial dispute has broken between the Empire of Dragomeria and both the Republic of Washinton and its affiliated companies in the waters of Beringia. I must thank you all in advance for accepting our offer to discuss things diplomatically here, rather then escalating the situation. Now, the Council has formed a procedure on how we will discuss our negotiations. This is in order for each party involved to fully voice their cause and reasoning throughout this process. First, there will be a time for each party to speak, so we do not interrupt each other and cause a verbal altercation to ensue. This is for each party to make their case without fear of retribution or instant rebuttal. If there is something that you wish to say, but fear that you may regret when it is your turn to speak, then please write or type it so that you not do so when it is your time to speak.

Now, as this is a negotiations between two parties and an overseer, this is how the procedure will be performed; After I have finished my introduction, we shall allow one of the party's, in this meeting's case, the Dragomerians to begin presenting their case first. After, we will allow the Washintionian delegation to begin. If anyone wishes to call for a recess to plan responses or for other reasons, then please do so when it is your turn to speak. Thank you. The Dragomerian Delegation may now begin."

Tech Support Room

Several Floors above the meeting in a quiet, dark room, Ascoobian Internet Security Personnel were analyzing signals incoming, outgoing, and from within the castle for any hint of a virus, malware, or hacking attempt from their guests. The overseeing Officer yawned and thought of the tediousness of the task. However, he reminded himself that sophisticated electronic attacks were a danger ever present in the digital age. As of far, everything appeared to be normal.

The Emperor stood up and said, "I could go into a long conversation over the issue, but I shall just give the summary. They have intruded on waters belonging to the Empire of Japan. The Empire of Japan shall not allow Washintonian companies to intrude on our waters. In addition, exclusive water rights were sold to Japan Oil Company, who will not be sharing those rights. After this conference, those Washintonian companies shall have 24 hours to leave our waters. I have copies of the necessary documents with me."

[Republic of Washinton]

After the Emperor sits after his speech, the General Secretary of State stands to give his speech.

"Gentlemen, I am here on behalf of the President of the Republic of Washington. The Chukchi Sea, or the Beringia Sea, as our Ascoobian delegates have pointed out, is a body of water that is made up of more than just territorial waters. The waters of the Chukchi are outside the range of territorial waters, therefore meaning no country can lay claim to them. The drilling companies in question located the oil themselves via there own scouting units. Since these reserves are claimed by the companies that made the discovery, the rights to them do not belong to the Japanese Oil Company. In fact, this hostile military action towards civilian vessels is not only absurd, but a threat of the very lives of the oil workers and sailors out there. An attack on them would not be on any Washingtonian military or government personnel, but our civilians. This sudden brash response to our oil claims by threatening to kill innocent sailors and oil workers is a threat to the stability of the region and to world peace. By no means were these oil companies pressured by our government to drill in these waters, they were purely private investments.

[Dragomerian Islands]

After the Emperor sits after his speech, the General Secretary of State stands to give his speech.

"Gentlemen, I am here on behalf of the President of the Republic of Washington. The Chukchi Sea, or the Beringia Sea, as our Ascoobian delegates have pointed out, is a body of water that is made up of more than just territorial waters. The waters of the Chukchi are outside the range of territorial waters, therefore meaning no country can lay claim to them. The drilling companies in question located the oil themselves via there own scouting units. Since these reserves are claimed by the companies that made the discovery, the rights to them do not belong to the Japanese Oil Company. In fact, this hostile military action towards civilian vessels is not only absurd, but a threat of the very lives of the oil workers and sailors out there. An attack on them would not be on any Washingtonian military or government personnel, but our civilians. This sudden brash response to our oil claims by threatening to kill innocent sailors and oil workers is a threat to the stability of the region and to world peace. By no means were these oil companies pressured by our government to drill in these waters, they were purely private investments.

The Emperor replied, "You are gravely mistaken. All claimed waterways are our territorial waters. As such, only the Empire of Japan can give companies rights to the area. Since your companies are not even registered in the Empire of Japan, they can not conduct business in the Empire, or collect Imperial resources."

[Republic of Washinton]

The General Secretary of State again rises to tackle the Emperor's position.

"You believe that everything close to you is yours. If that were the case then the Aleutians would also be yours, hell even North Amwell would be. If it were up to you, the whole Pacific Ocean would be under your control, as is it borders you on all sides of your home islands. Now, your response towards our civilian work force has been nothing short of aggressive and anything but gentle. The wars of the past are over, there is no need to trigger a new one. The waters in question are not exactly yours. There is plenty of international waters between your territorial waters and North Amwell's territorial waters. No one nation can claim these waters as their own, doing so would be violating any nation's right to use these waters for drilling and trade, especially through the Bering Strait. While our nation does recognize that you have rights to your coastal waters in the area, not all of it belongs to your nation."

[Dragomerian Islands]

The Emperor replied, "So, you claim a business from a nation far away from the area has more rights to an area than a business that operates in the nation whose territorial waters include the area in question? The businesses in question are not even licensed to work within the bounds of the Empire.....Surely those companies should have had the decency to at least apply for a license before drilling."

[Republic of Washinton]

The General Secretary of State speaks up again.

"You say we are far away? We share the Arctic with you as well. It's not a far fetched idea that our nation's oil companies would want to drill there. The waters in question are not entirely yours, again they are shared by your nation and North Amwell with a considerable amount of international waters, especially in the northern sector where the drilling operations are taking place. It is also funny to us that as soon as our companies discovered it and sent rigs your nation claimed them when they are not within your waters."

[Dragomerian Islands]

The Emperor responded, "First, your nation's nearest landmass is 1,600 kilometers away. Not even the empire claims resources that far away. Also, your rigs are in my waters, not in international waters. There are no recognized 'international waters' in the Chukchi Sea. Because the area in question is a part of my territorial waters, your oil platforms must either be removed, or your companies must get the appropriate license and purchase the rights to the area."

"Now that you mention it, your surveying ships that discovered the deposits should not have been there either........How often are you going to continue to violate the sovereignty of the Empire's waters?"

[Republic of Washinton]

The General Secretary of State drinks from his glass and responds:

"You and I are looking at two versions of the same map. The Chukchi Sea covers 620,000 square kilometers of open sea, more than plenty you can claim for your coastline. Claiming the entire area with a tiny section for North Amwell is nothing but a grab at territory. What we recognize is the key issue here, and what we are willing to work out diplomatically. Besides, all the bureaucratic work will give your companies all the time they need to claim those recourses".

[Dragomerian Islands]

The General Secretary of State drinks from his glass and responds:

"You and I are looking at two versions of the same map. The Chukchi Sea covers 620,000 square kilometers of open sea, more than plenty you can claim for your coastline. Claiming the entire area with a tiny section for North Amwell is nothing but a grab at territory. What we recognize is the key issue here, and what we are willing to work out diplomatically. Besides, all the bureaucratic work will give your companies all the time they need to claim those recourses".

The Emperor replies, "The Empire shall not back down from its claim......Your companies can submit an application for a license to conduct business and can try to purchase rights to those areas, if Japan Oil is willing to sell any land. Just be aware that if you do this, you will have to pay Oil Taxes. The key issue I can see is that your companies and your government do not recognize the claim. Am I right about the key issue? I will state that I do have the paperwork for licensing with me in case those oil companies decide to go my suggested route."

[Republic of Washinton]

The General Secretary of State speaks up again:

"The question is does anyone else other than your nation and the Scarlet Shogunate recognize your claim? Your nation has a history on territory grabbing and conquest, it's not a surprise to us that you are pulling this when we discovered oil. You seem to think everything is yours when you say it. *cough* Philippines *cough* The point is, most nations do not find you very credible when it comes to territory expansions and claims. It would be interesting to know what our Ascoobian hosts and maybe delegates from other nations have to say."

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs exhales from his cigar and continues to give a look of disgust. Meanwhile the Oil delegates look to each with suspicion about the Dragomerian licensing and taxation.

[Dragomerian Islands]

The Emperor replied, "It is funny that you think that you could get the Empire to rescind the claim. The primary purpose I agreed to this negotiation was to give those Washintonian companies a way out of the conflict. I can not speak for Japan Oil, but I will admit that the Washintonian companies would not have to spend much effort to be licensed to do business in the Empire."

The Emperor turns to the Ascooban delegation awaiting for them to interject their oppinion on the matter.

[Ascoobis]

General Sierra slowly stood, becoming the spokesperson for the group, and pondered over his worlds before speaking.

"After quiet deliberation between us five, I believe that enough of a consensus has been formed to formulate an Ascoobian opinion on the matter. Now, while the Dagomerian's rights to territorial waters must be respected, it has not been specified how far this zone extends or its exact limits. Which seems to be the cause of this confusion. I propose that we dissolve the arbitrary bordering system that the Dragomerian Islands seems to be using and set up a more precise system that also satisfies the needs of both the Dragomerian and Washintonian Delegation. We currently propose that, specifically regarding the Chukchi Sea, that Dragomerian waters reach exactly 200 km into the Sea from the coastlines. With the rest remaining within, excluding North Amwell's 200 km, forming demilitarized International Waters in which rigs and commercial business of all countries be allowed to exploit. Except for Wrangel Island and Whoulffle Island, their Dragomerian maritime borders will extend 50 km into the Chukchi Sea. What do both parties think of this proposal?"

[Dragomerian Islands]

The Emperor then said, "We reject this proposal. It removes part of our sovereign waters from us."

[Ascoobis]

The Emperor then said, "We reject this proposal. It removes part of our sovereign waters from us."

OOC: If you're not willing to accept a proposal that will leave both parties with parts of their objectives complete, this'll end up just like the WWII OOC Thread. I guarantee it. Is your proposed deal the only thing that you're willing to accept ICly?

"Emperor, let us be reasonable. It must be understood that your previous methods of determining the status of the sea in question is a rather arbitrary one that leaves much ambiguous and up to interpretation. A claim that in itself was never legitimized by your neighbors. We here are simply trying to solidify that you possess do in fact claims in the Sea, while being fair and accepting that the Washintonians and even North Amwellans do have legitimate business interests in the disputed territory. It should be clear that the Ascoobian proposal was a fair one which favored neither yourself nor the Washintonians."

General Sierra removed his reading glasses and continued in a irked tone, with a hint of disappointment.

" I was hoping that the Dragomerian leadership had changed its attitude towards the world, neighboring nations, and its fellow man since the last time our nations were at the negotiating table. A clearly extinguished hope. If the Dragomerian nation does not have the maturity and responsibility to accept deals that favor all involved rather then only itself, be willing to accept a great deal of compromise, and not risk nuclear war whenever something doesn't go their way internationally, then I, frankly, have no idea what we are all doing here other then wasting our time trying to move an immovable object with an unstoppable force. Why other nations on the world stage agree to entertain this sort of perverted game, I have no idea.

This is not the Philippines Mr. Emperor. Simply claiming sovereignty won't work this time. Especially with such a vague claim and convenient system of acquisition. The vibrant Ascoobian-Filipino population won't accept another simple hand over and submission, as you suggest. If your plan is to make Washinton accept such a clearly skewed deal, whether or not under threat of war, then I am afraid you are to be disappointed."

Finished, he took a quick sip of water, slipped on his glasses and opened a manilla folder and began to read through its contents. As he began, he announced,

"Now, I believe it is now time for the Washintonian delegation to respond to both the Dragomerian offer and the Ascoobian. After which, the Dragomerians may respond to both our statements."

[Republic of Washinton]

The General Secretary of State stands again.

"Thank you The Washingtonian government finds the proposition by the Ascoobians to be favorable. Washington is willing to accept the coastal territorial waters of the Dragomerian Empire, in exchange for drilling operations and commerce flow to go unhindered by the Dragomerian military. Our government is pledging to not put any offensive weapons on these oil rigs, nor will any Washingtonian Naval vessels be stationed in the Chukchi Sea accept at North Amwellian."

[Dragomerian Islands]

The Emperor then replied, "The Empire can not accept the Ascooban proposal, because it gives every concession to Washinton and none to the Empire. It is my belief that recognizing the Empire's claim in exchange for those Washintonian oil companies registering for a business license in the Empire, is the better proposal, because it gives concessions to both sides, as the Empire keeps its waters and the Washintonian companies get to drill for the oil, pending completion of the paperwork. Did I forget to say that the tax rate for foreign businesses working in the Empire is only 1% sales tax."

The representative from Japan Oil interjected, "We would even throw in some water resource rights as a gift for accepting the imperial proposal. Of course ant additional rights would have to be purchased the normal way."

[Republic of Washinton]

The General Secretary of State speaks again:

"It seems we again arrive at a deadlock much like our fathers faced almost seventy years ago. The Chukchi Sea is not made up of just territorial waters alone, international waters must exist to keep drilling and commerce going unhindered. If we allow this kind of claim to exist, what's to stop Ascoobis for say claiming the gulf of Mexico?

[Dragomerian Islands]

The General Secretary of State speaks again:

"It seems we again arrive at a deadlock much like our fathers faced almost seventy years ago. The Chukchi Sea is not made up of just territorial waters alone, international waters must exist to keep drilling and commerce going unhindered. If we allow this kind of claim to exist, what's to stop Ascoobis for say claiming the gulf of Mexico?

The Emperor replied, "So the Chukchi Sea must be international waters because you want to drill there? You are essentially saying that your nation's economy is more important than the sovereignty of other nations! The Chukchi Sea is a part of the territorial waters of the Empire, and the Empire's claim over the area shall not be withdrawn."

The Emperor then turned to face the representatives of the Washintonian oil companies and said, "So, I take it that you decline the offer that would have allowed your companies to continue use of the area?"