5634 Legion/Kalistan Settlement Talks in Skyhold Castle, Constantine, Lagard

[Doc]

Lady Anya Waltrip, Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Empire of Ananto and Kalistan

Lady Anya Waltrip spoke into her microphone:

It has been reported, in Kundrati newspapers themselves, that the Legion has been sending their convicts, and I do not use the word "criminal" here for good reason, but those who have been summarily convicted of crimes only, yes, including serious crimes, but also petty offenses which elsewhere are sanctioned with a ticket, to prison camps where they are forced to work at hard labor.  It is well reported that some nations, including Likatonia and more recently Davostag, have sought to trade with the Legion due to their "cheap labor costs", and it is widely known that the Legion uses their convict population as slaves.  It is not for us to confirm these allegations, Mr. Lazar.  It is the Legion's Part to confirm them and to be forthcoming and transparent about its use of those convicts in that fashion.  Her Imperial Majesty is not interested in why your government sees fit to enslave a not insignificant portion of your population and force them to work at hard labor.  That is not at all important to Her Imperial Majesty.  What is important is that you admit that you do it, you do it as a matter of state practice, and that many of the people sent to your labor camps die while in state custody due to the conditions that your Government keeps them in and the arduousness of the labor that you subject them to.

This is part of the accountability that your Administration has so far escaped in any real sense.  Admission of the practices of your government demonstrates good faith and establishes a credibility for honesty and transparency.  Spinning your own Administration's practices to avoid being held accountable, or providing some justification as an attempt to mitigate the fact of state sponsored slavery or institutionalized death by work does the opposite of that.  And your Administration has been adept at the later for more than three decades, which is a source of much of the conflict between our two peoples.  Her Imperial Majesty wants to meet you half way.  Being honest on your part is the easiest of the three conditions Her Imperial Majesty has expressed.  You gain nothing by continuing to justify barbarity toward your citizenry.

As for the Weapons of Mass Destruction, there is no situation where the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan will compensate the Kundrati Legion for research, development and construction of weapons of mass destruction.  Her Imperial Majesty would rather see them outlawed and dismantled all together from every state who claims to possess them.  It was immoral to build them, and it was doubly immoral to divert resources that could have been used to feed your population into their development. 

As for the honest trade you speak of Mr. Lazar, Her Imperial Majesty is confident that this can happen over time, if we can get past these sticking points.  But as for the importation of Kundrati items into the markets of Kalistan, Her Imperial Majesty requires me to assure you that nothing tied to slave labor will ever see a moment on the shelves in any Kalistani market, regardless of the cheap prices that so called 'Low Labor costs' can provide.  We have not sunk so low as to allow the bottom line to be the sole determiner of our economic decision making.  As we don't purchase garment from maquiladoras either, but insist that the workers in those corporations who supply us items are paid fair wages, have job protections, and good working conditions, and would rather pay higher prices than profit from misery.

I assure you, Mr. Lazar, there are suppliers for every single one of the items that Kundrati has to offer, which also do not stink of slavery.  That is a discussion for a different day. 

So, Her Imperial Majesty would prefer to discuss how we may begin supplying your people with necessary humanitarian aid.  Her Imperial Majesty may be young, but she is her Father's daughter, and more importantly, she is Empress Carolina's Grand Daughter.  She does not blindly trust the word of your Administration.  On any point.  We have no history to serve as a basis for that trust.  Instead, put frankly, she believes that you, Mr. Lazar, will direct the aid to feed and treat your Legionary faithful first, and then if there is anything left over, you may use it to cajole compliance from those you deem less worthy of that aid. 

She wishes to give the aid to ameliorate the suffering of as many as possible, without political loyalty being the condition for assistance.  And the only way she can trust this will happen is if the aid is administered through a neutral third Party, which cannot be unduly influenced by your Party, but will develop criteria and will be accountable for its general distribution.

There are no other conditions for the aid.  Her Imperial Majesty believes this a more than fair proposal.  And she awaits your response.