Pelasgia
Established Nation
Antonios Antoniou, Pelasgian Representative to the European Forum
"Esteemed representatives,
"Following recent events in Thrakia and Philistaea, it has become evident that the EF Mandate System has become redundant and dysfunctional. Of the half a dozen or so Mandates presently in existence across Europe, none are substantially closer to independent nationhood and socio-economic independence than they were sixty years ago. Indeed, most resemble more closely colonies than nation-states in any meaningful sense; their economies are wholly dependent on foreign intervention and management, their administration is under the tutorship of foreign powers, and their soil is occupied either by foreign troops or by forces funded, trained, and equipped by foreign or international sources.
"In short, the EF Mandate System has failed completely in ensuring the maturity and independence of its Mandates, which is, need I remind this esteemed Forum, its goal. It has, however, succeeded quite well in creating a series of dysfunctional colonies. And I dare say dysfunctional, esteemed colleagues, because even by the standards of a colony these parts of the world are in a sad state. The Isphilistines, the Mandate closest to Pelasgia, has been plagued by decades of ethnic strife and now faces an active terror campaign, as the Pelasgian Orthodox ethnic majority find their wishes to voice their democratic will for reunification with Pelasgia suppressed (sometimes violently) by Mandate authorities staffed almost entirely by minorities and foreigners--an apartheid, dear colleagues, if I ever saw one.
"Thrakia's state is well known to all--though the Serbovians and Tarusans have made noble efforts to ensure Thrakia's development, the country itself is in no shape to stand on its own two feet, and it requires external supervision in one form or another to continue to survive--support which the Serbovians and Tarusans have been more than glad to provide. Yet, one cannot pretend that this is a success story of the EF Mandate, more than the result of the Serbovians and Tarusans' own noble efforts in spite of the Mandate System.
"For Al-Magrab, the verdict is much the same: whatever development has come is not the result of the locals' own progress toward nationhood, but of Eiffelland's own successful administration of Al-Magrab as an overseas dependency. We are certain that Al-Magrab could continue in this way without the need for something as farcical as an EF costume to give the arrangement the appearance of Al-Magrab's independence. Once again, this is not meant to disparage our colleagues from Eiffelland, but to point to the absolute divorce from reality of the EF Mandate System.
"In short, dear colleagues, we propose that the EF Mandate System be abolished. In its stead, we would recommend that all territories under a Mandate either revert to their pre-Mandate holder, or fall to the direct administration of the power currently controlling them, when such a return would be impracticable. If any of these states has reached the point of being able to achieve independence--which we sincerely doubt--we urge that that independence be granted to it, though we do not believe many such cases will arise.
"With that, I would like to open the floor to discussion of the proposed motion by my colleagues, before tabling it for a vote."