Foreign Minister Suarez Wrote:Representatives of the Government of Kalistan will meet with our counterparts in Indrala in the coming weeks.  Topics of conversation will include:
a)  A Statement on the official policy of the Government of Kalistan with regard to the Embargo
b)  A Statement on the official policy of the Government of Kalistan with regard to recent comments about vacated title regarding our National Territory
c)  A Statement on the official policy of the Government of Kalistan regarding the so-called "zoo" alliance.

With regard to topic "A" of this discussion, the official policy of the Government of Kalistan has been to issue private individuals LIMITED letters of marque, which authorized them, in the name of the Kalistani Government to stop and search all shipping on the Anantanese Ocean for contraband items, and then to confiscate said contraband.  There is no evidence that we have seized anything on the Schismatic Sea, or even patrolled that far south.  And within the last year, we have even sent elements of our navy to ensure that Privateers do not venture, for any reason, outside the Embargo Zone.  We have done so specifically to avoid contact with Trigunian naval elements who have been dispatched to the region, and apparently now will be joined by Indralan ships.  And there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that we have harrassed shipping flying under any other nation's flag, quarantined their ships, or seized cargo which has not transshipped through or originated from Vanukean ports.  The government of Kalistan has ALWAYS made public precisely what has been seized or quarantined, to whom it had initially belonged, and precisely which article of the Embargo Order it violated.  Those reports are made public, and are printed on the Government of Kalistan's Website.  We have not tried to hide or underestimate what we have confiscated-  to do so would be counterproductive to the stated purpose of this Policy, which is to drag Vanuku, kicking and screaming if need be to a settlement of the outstanding issue which remains unsettled between our two countries.  We want the Vanukean murderers behind the assassination of our President brought to justice along with a full accounting of WHY our President was murdered in mid air, and will not be satisfied until that occurs.  We seek no other form of compensation nor accommodation, by anyone.  Nor shall we offer compensation to Vanuku.

The Ambassador will re-iterate, for the dozenth time:  The Embargo includes all shipping which sails under a Vanukean Flag, as well as all goods aboard ships that originated in or transshipped through Vanukean ports, and then attempt to pass through the Anantanese Ocean.  Our target is Vanukean commerce, ONLY.  Our seizures have been designed to discourage other nations from trading with Vanuku, until such time as Vanuku approaches the Kalistani Government with a settlement offer in regard to their assassination of our former President.  We do not want war with any nation-  we merely wish to continue, in Kalistan, under a peaceful and non-aligned orientation toward the world which is happy to trade with all who are willing to trade with us.  The Embargo hurts Kalistani trade as well, as surface shipping has all but ended through the Anantanese Ocean.  But this is a wound which our people have endured nonetheless, because the cause of Justice is far more important than the benefits we receive from Commerce.  Whatever the President's decision on the Embargo after the Letters of Marque expire in June of this year, we will never stop working for Justice for our President, and we will continue in enmity with those states who continue to support the reactionaries in Vanuku as long as they refuse to seek a settlement of this major outstanding issue for Kalistan.

On a side note-  The Ambassador will mention that the Government of Kalistan is currently drafting a program which will offer limited compensation to those nations who can demonstrate that their cargoes and vessels were quarantined in error.  If enacted, this policy will repay any nation who can demonstrate that the merchandise or cargo vessels quarantined by Kalistani Privateers had not been shipped on Vanukean Ships or through Vanukean ports at 102% of the value lost.  This offer would only apply to cargo quarantined in error.  Cargo confiscated on the Seas which had any contact with Vanukean ships or ports would automatically be disqualified from any compensation program in the future.  There is no evidence that any ship or cargo was seized in error, and we have returned a number of ships to various countries who technically violated the Embargo by merely docking at Vanuku for logistical support, but the Ambassador is expected to make this suggestion to the Indralan Minister to determine whether this would allay some of the concerns of that Nation and its friends.

With regard to Issue "B", We will not acknowledge any establishment of claim over any single inch of our national territory by any foreign power.  Making any claim against any of our national territory will result in an immediate declaration of war by the Government of Kalistan.  We encourage the Government of Indrala, who professes friendship toward Kalistan, to seriously consider this fact before even hinting at the possibility of such an action.  Kalistan makes no foreign claims, but will absolutely not tolerate any suggestion of a violation of its sovereignty by an equal, nor will it tolerate the suggestion that Kalistani sovereignty will be used as a bargaining chip to gain concessions toward assassins and thugs.  Such a suggestion by the Chief Counselor is absolutely beyond the Pale.

With regard to issue "C", we do not understand the "Zoo" alliance.  We have heard diplomatic chatter with regard to such an alliance, and now we have official confirmation from the mouth of the Indralan Counselor, concerning the existence of such an alliance, but as Kalistan does not usually involve itself in the goings on of other nations, we lack the motivation to interfere with alliances made by other nations.  Ours is a desire to remain completely free of foreign entanglements, and consequently we have no interest in disrupting alliances.  Doing so would be of no benefit to Kalistan.  It would not serve any interests we have.  In fact-  what is more likely is that we would hope that Vanuku's allies would lean on Vanuku to settle the issues leading to the Embargo with us so that they may continue with their own security and commercial  arrangements without any input whatever from Kalistan.  It would seem that a strong, stable alliance that our "friends" were a part of would be to Kalistan's interest-  We would receive a proxy benefit.  A strong alliance in lands and seas around us keeps peace in our own neighborhood, ensures orderly commerce, and bears much of the security costs that Kalistan would otherwise have to bear on its own.  We are at a loss with regard to why anyone would think we were attempting to disrupt this, especially now that it means military escalation in the waters around Kalistan by people who are growing hostile to us due to their association with assassins.

We send our Ambassador in Good Faith to represent Kalistan to the Indralan Government.  We hope that any meeting with our Indralan counterparts will be conducted in this spirit as well.

President of the Republic Delia Smith-Phillips Wrote:Kalistanis, I humbly come before you today to announce that the Embargo of Vanukean shipping, which has brought sea-based surface shipping to a complete halt, has reached a natural end, and, upon recommendation of the Foreign Minister of Kalistan, the Government of the Imperial Republic of Kalistan will not be extended after Letters of Marque expire on June 1 of this year.  All of the Socialist Party's Privateers have been recalled from International Waters overnight, and any action of former privateers after the expiration of the Letters of Marque will be deemed piracy and will be prosecuted as such by the Minister of Justice, in accord with the Laws of Kalistan and the rights of Defendants.  No actions occurring and sanctioned under the letters of Marque, unless it is judged to have been treacherous and deleterious to the interests of Kalistan, shall be prosecuted.

The Government of Vanuku, and all vessels belonging to it, will remain barred from Kalistani Ports and Kalistani Markets.  All third Parties attempting to ship things made in or shipped through Vanuku will be denied access to Kalistani Markets.  Kalistan will also not sell anything to those countries which insist on maintaining commercial ties with that Country.  We reiterate-  we want a settlement on the question of the murder of our President by agents from the government of Vanuku, and we will not do business with Vanuku or their allies until this matter is settled.  We will also refuse to receive or send out diplomats from Vanuku or their allies, unless the matter is specifically related to settlement of this issue.

We are taking this necessary first step to demonstrate Kalistani willingness to avoid any sort of open conflict with other sovereign states on the High Seas.  We are committed to peaceful negotiations, and as long as the Embargo is maintained, this cannot happen.  But our position vis-a-vis Vanuku has not altered, one iota. Nor will it as long as Vanuku refuses to accept the responsibility for their part in the death of the Kalistani President and bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice, in a public fashion.  Nor has our opinion of those who continue to succor the criminals in other countries changed.  If you assist Vanuku in hiding its dastardly deeds, you can count yourself as among them, as far as Kalistan is concerned.  We repeat, we do not want war.  We seek to have peaceful and prosperous exchanges between ourselves and our neighbors and friends across the world.  We want to sell our national products to the world and buy the wonderful things everyone else has to sell us.  We love cultural exchanges, and we, even to this day celebrate our openness to the world.  And yet- we cannot allow this injustice to stand, not when the key to the matter is right in front of us all.

Quote:"Under these terms, we are about 99.9% that all the cargo and shipping vessels seized during the Embargo was contraband, by the definition of the Strict Embargo Order.  If we deplete that fund after 4 years, it will be a complete surprise.  And yet, we do want to make sure that all people whose ships and cargo was impounded in error are adequately compensated for their losses, and made more than whole.  We encourage claimants to come forward, file a suit in Kalistani court and let's air these cases.  I am convinced that you will find that it was foreign shippers trying to smuggle Vanukean contraband through our waters who are the ones who broke Kalistani Laws during the last two years, and not Kalistani Privateers, as is so often claimed in the foreign press."

Quote:This last term has been incredibly trying for me.  My priorities have been absolutely overshadowed by the Embargo, and at this rate, I use what political capital I have remaining to promote this bill which I feel is entirely necessary.  Therefore it is incumbent upon me to choose to step out of the way, so that less distracted individuals may take the reigns of State and perhaps heal the divisions that were caused during my Administration.  Upon leaving, I do not wish to make any endorsement for my successor.  It is my hope that whoever succeeds me will be committed to peace for Kalistan, and eventual normalization with all nations.  But I fully encourage the Government and whoever leads it, to continue to search for justice in the case of my Late predecessor.  Kalistan should not rest until that murder is resolved.  It was our hope to bring the murderer or murderers to justice in my Administration, but I am out of time and out of patience.  After January, I will join my Friend Jonas Bennots-Plum in working to build the Society of the Bretheren in Kalistan.

Quote:KB:  Has the first year met your expectations?

B-G:  Well, yes and no.  I ran on the platform of calming the waters.  When we decided to pull back from the Embargo, it was because we were making enemies of people who weren't enemies.  We were no longer offsetting the cost of the Embargo to Kalistani commerce with contraband shipping and cargo.  And the Privateers had more or less left the line anyway.  The policy became unsupportable.  We are still working to pass the Compensation act, which was unpopular with the majority of socialist voters, but is necessary to signal to the world that we are willing to admit our mistakes.  But now-  well, commerce is still lagging, so we have to work on that...  Overall, my first year has been rather uneventful.

KB:  Kalistan still has outstanding issues with Vanuku.  Has there been any progress on those issues?

B-G:  Well, to be completely honest, we don't have any diplomatic contact with Vanuku, and they have made no attempt to settle anything with us, not directly, and not through a third Party.  We have not returned to our old embassies abroad, and the only country we have visited since the end of the Embargo was Indrala, where our legation was invited, was dispatched, and when we landed in Indrala, we were not met by anyone, our presence was not acknowledged by anyone, official or non- and we spent several hours in the airport waiting on a return flight to Kalistan.  It was a complete waste of time and energy.  It seems that Vanuku and their allies have opted, once we ended the Embargo, to fall off Kalistan's radar.

KB:  And where does that leave Kalistan?

B-G:  Kalistan has had a long history of going it alone in the world.  International conflicts are not something that we do well in Kalistan.  We have plenty of conflict domestically, as it is.  So it more or less leaves Kalistan where it has been for the majority of its history.  But I can assure you, this conflict has allowed Kalistan to develop some new security assets.  We won't find ourselves being sucker punched again.

KB:  Different topic.  We understand that the Society of Bretheren is planning the first International convocation of Bretheren for the first time in over 1000 years here in Kaliburg.  Bretheren representatives from all over the world will meet and will lay out the state of the Faith as it stands right now.  What is the position of the Government of Kalistan on the re-establishment of a new Faith in traditionally secular Kalistan?

B-G:  Well, as you are probably already aware, Kalistani Bretheren are almost exclusively members of the Socialist Party of Kalistan, so this question hits even closer to home than it would if it was just about Kalistan.  This movement has taken a life of its own, though.  There are more than 200,000 Bretheren in Kalistan now, half of them have joined since the Embargo began, and many of them have joined in opposition to the Embargo.  They are people of peace, of course, and I assume that their influence plays out in the Party.  But of course- they don't take direction from the Party.  I suppose I can say, I wish them luck.  What is somewhat more concerning, however is a recent indication that foreign Governments are beginning to notice the sect in other countries, especially in some places where it wouldn't necessarily be welcomed.  This might cause friction in those countries, and as for Kalistan, we may end up becoming the destination for many of them if there should be some religious repression.  Kalistan always welcomes the oppressed of other nations, and any addition of foreign Bretheren in Kalistani society will provide a nice infusion of talent and diversity.

Quote:"A restriction in civil rights for one group is a restriction in civil rights for all.  Every free person should be outraged by the systematic persecution of the minority in Trigunia.  Nobody chooses who they love, nobody chooses who they are attracted to.  And civil rights are something which governments should work to expand, not restrict.  Kalistan stands with oppressed minorities in Trigunia and all over the world, and condemns all governments who oppress their own people.  We also call on all people of the world, who support LGBT rights to join us in our condemnation of Trigunia for their regressive policies."

Quote:"Trigunia used to be a friend of Kalistan.  It was not a decade ago when we were considering hosting a military base for the Trigunians on Kalistani soil, and presenting them an opportunity to buy into our national petroleum company.  Those days are over-  they ended when they chose to support assassins over Kalistan.  Not only does the Empire stomp on the civil rights of their own people, but they seem bound and determined to provoke us at sea by threatening us on Keris.  Well, let them threaten-  We are finished with the Empire of Trigunia.  It will take a lot of compromise on the part of the Empire of Trigunia before they are ever restored to their former place of preference with Kalistan."

President of the Republic Benito-Gonzales Wrote:Recently, high level officials in the Government of Trigunia, including their Head of State Defense Minister answered Kalistan's charges with regard to their treatment of their Gay community, and their naval provocations, which they term as "warnings" toward our naval vessels south of Keris.

As we have no diplomatic relations with Trigunia due to their inexplicable support for Vanuku, let us take a moment to respond in our Press.

First of all-  The only issues we have had with Trigunia is their refusal to push their allies to settle the matter of Vanuku's assassination of our President en route to visit the Government of Trigunia.  Surely the Government of Trigunia must have considered the possibility that our relationship would be damaged as a result of the destruction of the plane.  And yet, they have not pushed the Vanuku Government for answers.  Instead, they decided to very publicly step up their naval presence south of our Embargo zone, as an effort to pressure Kalistan to drop the Embargo, under the guise of "fighting piracy", knowing full well that Kalistani Privateers were not operating that far south.  We hope that Trigunia, who had in the past publicly claimed friendship with Kalistan, will find a way to repair the relationship with Kalistan instead of lambasting Kalistan in their Press for pointing out the inconsistencies in their behavior toward us.

Second of all, we responded to the Articles in the Trigunian Press, entitled 'Open Fire" and content in the Article titled "Minister-President lunges at LBGT Community."  This is not just a protest of the anti-adoption laws being promulgated in Trigunia.  The Trigunian Press stated, in black and white terms that: "Trigunia's Minister-President, Gavrila Vedernikov had declared war on homosexuals."  The adoption law, previewed six years ago, is just an opening salvo in the "war" against the Gay Community in Trigunia.  They begin by sending homosexuals "into the corner."  We consider someone's sexuality a civil right, and the Trigunian Government has declared that they are willing to use military force to crush the legitimate protests by Gay rights activists.  Naturally, liberty-minded Kalistan has a problem with this.

Third of all, We are responding to Trigunia's declaration that they are monitoring Kalistani naval operations in the Anantanese Ocean south of Keris, and that, in the words of Admiral Iyeremey Sonin, Kalistan can "Look, but do not touch", or that they are "allowing" us to remain in the waters of Keris.  Let me state, emphatically and in no uncertain terms-  We do NOT require the permission of a foreign power to patrol the waters of the Anantanese Sea, or for that matter, any other international waterway on this planet.  We have never suggested that we have any interest in what is going on in Keris or that we are operating in the national waters of any nation in Keris.  We patrol the international waters of the Anantanese Ocean as a matter of national security, as our entire nation and our Capital District is washed by the waters of that Ocean.  If there are hostile ships conducting exercises off our shores, naturally we are concerned about that and will meet force with force to ensure that they are not able to get the jump on Kalistan.  Naval escalation in Kalistan's neighborhood is considered by our national security doctrine to be a hostile action, especially since it is unprovoked.  We are not, I repeat NOT talking about piracy-  the Privateer policy met a natural end 2 months short of two years, and then the Government of Kalistan sponsored a compensation program to compensate owners of vessels and merchandise seized in error.  The Privateer Program ended in 3928-  that's TWO and a half years ago.  And the Socialist Party of Kalistan suffered at the polls for our choice.  We never operated any privateers in the Schismatic Sea, we never deliberately quarantined Trigunian Shipping, and we have offered compensation for all shipping and merchandise taken in error. 

So we are not sure why Trigunia feels the need to provoke us at Sea, with a threat to stay away from something we are not even involved with, namely Keris.  If they have some intelligence that we are escallating toward Keris, or that we are still operating privateers anywhere on the surface of the ocean, we ask that they present it in a way that we can refute it.  Otherwise, we assume that Trigunia is either in error, or is operating under faulty intelligence being supplied by agents hostile to Kalistan.  And finally, we declare that the Anantanese Ocean is a legitimate theater of operation for the Kalistani Navy.  This extends from the edge of the National Waters of the Dolgaria and Egelion all the way to the edge of the National Waters of Gaduridos and Vorona.  We will continue to operate our navy with impunity within this zone, as it is our legitimate sphere of influence.  As for piracy, there are no Kalistani Pirates or Privateers in the employ of the Kalistani Government anywhere in the Anantanese Ocean, and Kalistani Piracy of international shipping in the Anantanese Ocean will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of our law.  This has been our policy for the last two and a half years, and will remain our policy.

We invite the Government of Trigunia to refrain from oppressing their minorities and from maligning the Kalistani Government in their national press.  We would then be happy to do the same, in return.  We have much better things to accomplish then the petty tit-for-tat which passes for Trigunian-Kalistani relations these days.  Peace.

Quote:Kalistan is on the verge of a renaissance.  We look forward to the opportunity to heal the divisions of our world which prevent Kalistan from trading with the world.  Our exports have suffered since the opening of the Embargo Policy, and now we will focus entirely on rebuilding our trade and diplomatic relations with the world.  First, comes a detente with the Monarchists in Vanuku and Trigunia.  After the next elections, we will begin working on an initiative to restore normal relations with both states.  After that, we look to reopen Kalistani embassies abroad.  We hope this new policy yields some good results in the next few years for Kalistan.