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The Whirlwind ATTN Serenierre

Záhorie

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Dean of Staff, Claude Darc, and Deputy Minister Andre Fouche glanced around the moderately lavish bedroom in the palace. It was Darc's and they had gathered there in the early hours after arriving at at bone stiffening midnight. The small group of assistants had been ordered to remain in quarters until breakfast. The meeting would begin at 9am so the two decided not to miss a chance to discuss the exact positions of the Grand Duchy.

The room at the Palace of Ter Heyde had a small table. The two, sitting opposite glanced at various folders laid in front of them. They had been at it since 6:30 and with the exception of some curious staff delivering tea, the two had been working in near silence. Fouche,a youthful 35, came from a family of tailors. He had attended mostly second-tier schools and a mediocre university but was very clearly talented for foreign policy work. He was only shackled by his lack of language skills. This was utterly not necessary for the task and he generally preferred to mostly listen in situations like this. The Frankish spoken in Serenierre was not that different from the Frankish spoken in most of Bourgogne. He expected the meeting to be conducted in formal Frankish, which all would know. Thinking on this, he leaned back in his chair. He glanced around the room absently. It was a few moments before Darc looked up, noticing the young man was not at work. Shooting Fouche a inquisitive glance, Darc removed his heavy glasses to rub the lenses with a cloth. Fouche did not make eye contact but continued look around- "You know sir, I wonder if this room...do you think they are listening?" he asked. Darc, an old workhorse, was quiet and shrugged. "Probably. Yet we have not said as much as a few words". Darc perched his glasses back onto his bulbous nose. He checked his watch. It was almost 8:15 and only a matter of time before their counterparts arrived. "I suggest we take a few minutes of privacy before the meeting" Darc said as he collected the documents to hand to a staff member. As Fouche excused himself from the room, he heard the cars beginning to pull up. After a few minutes, the stocky Darc headed downstairs to find Fouche gazing at a large 17th century portrait at the bottom of the staircase. The two nodded at each other and waited for the arrival of their counterparts. The two stared absently at the portrait as the sound of car doors closing drifted into the hall.
 

Gouw Marken

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The staff was all present: housmaides, footmen, the housekeeper, butler, cook and kitchen maids....
"What do we have to do with that ....", a maid said and she searched for the right word.
"Swindlers", a footman responded.
All stood up from their chairs. The butler entered. Coming from the northeast, his family was hit hard by the Great Famine.
"Report to me, now", he shouted at the footman.
And than he turned to all of them. "I serve His Excellency the Prince-Bishop. And so do we all. We serve him, and all he wants us to be served. So we serve the Bourgondians as we would serve our master".
He followed strickt orders from Quintus II himself. The Bourgondians must be safe and with no worries.
"Markenese hospitallity is sacred", the butler said, "even if we have personally problems with the guests. And he was the right man to say so. Then he left the room; and the footman followed, knowing a punishment was nearby.
Happily for this footman, the butler was summoned upstairs. The Serenierre delegation was reported at the gates. They stayed in the personal residence of the Prince-Bishop, Palace Ten Steene.
 

Serenierre

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Elisabeth Martinique was widely held in Villesen to be the power behind the throne. A possible successor to the grand revolutionary Serazin. Her opinion carried weight, so when she had approved of the Burgundian demand for an official meeting, the original negative response had to be rather quickly redrafted. And so, flanked by the Commissars for War and for External Relations, she walked into the conference room with a sense of robust confidence. She was in no mood to let the diplomatic niceties continue any longer than they needed to, as far as the meeting at hand was concerned, and so she was quick to send the signal that she wanted to begin.

"Mr. Darc," she started. "This meeting was requested for by your Government. I expect you have a strong case to make. We are listening." She smiled and placed her elbows in front of her on the table.


OOC: You should have tagged me, I nearly missed this!!! :p
 

Záhorie

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Darc pretended not to notice the lack of a real greeting. He returned the smile and helped himself to a pitcher of water on the table; taking his time to pour in silence. He sipped slowly. Perhaps Gouw Marken had some of the finest tasting water he had drank in some time. He methodically centered the glass on the coaster before sitting back. "It is not so much a case Madam. The fact is that tensions are rising and it is something we, nor the greater international community want. Our legislature has halted any major airstrikes in Milesia. Our border remains largely without garrison. Our government, at the direction of the Grand Duke, has sought to suppress any political expats from Serenierre which may adversely have influence in your nation. Yet, we seem to get no closer in getting our relations to a point of diplomatic reciprocation. Perhaps it is your case we wish to hear" he said quietly, in very pronounced and careful speech. He was quiet for another moment before continuing.

"Your nation seems to think that we have some manner of grand plan against Serenierre. We have been utterly and totally clear on this point. The Grand Duke has made no effort to press his claim to the throne. Nor have we sought to see some regime change. Serenierre's sovereignty is being wholly respected. Restrictions and charges have been brought against those whom are culturally Burgundian. That is your right. Yet, we are continually blamed. We want clarification if the blame which you assign is on the Ducal government or against individuals within Bourgogne. If so, we wish to know. Furthermore, we want to exactly understand what Serenierre would like...within reason.... in return for demilitarizing the border. While we do not expect your nation, in its current state" he began, placing emphasis on the words current state.

He continued, "we do not wish to see an army parked on our border. If the situation were reversed madam, there is no doubt that Serenierre would not do as we have done" he concluded. He took another sip of water and held up a hand to denote he was about to continue. "I doubt either nation wishes for these tensions to escalate further. So, Madam, we await to hear your case"
 

Serenierre

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Martinique listened intently to the Burgundian man, scribbling notes when hearing something she wanted to add to, and so when her turn to speak came, she began, "Monsieur Darc, I thank you for detailing your position. Now let me categorically say, Villesen is not pursuing any hostile policy against Bourgogne. This is the position that we hold officially and shall abide by. Any war between our two lands would be catastrophic and destructive to such a degree that no right thinking Government on either end of the frontier could support it. That much is true."

"Dean of Staff Darc, you have held your post for many years, and have much experience in the realm of Burgo-Serenien relations... so you are well aware that passions around the issue of inter-Gallian affairs can flare up at all sorts of occasions, particularly on our end, which has a delicate situation with ethnic minorities which advocate for a merger of our two countries to restore a unified crown. In Villesen, we very much appreciate the approach of the Grand Duke, in handling the matter of his claim to Serenierre," she stressed that word. "But the fact of the matter is that the continued inability to silence the exiled Royalists in Chagny does at times complicate our working relations. Especially so, when supporters of the former royal house use Burgundian territory to convene and coordinate in connection with Eiffellander banks to support the insurgents in Arierre." She looked at Darc, firmly but without rudeness, "Monsieur Darc, now I understand, that this is not the policy of either the Government of Bourgogne or Eiffelland but the fact is that efforts on your end to stop this kind of movement is having real world consequences in my country."

"I know that our actions in recent weeks have seemed quite extreme and I know how the bourgeoisie press handles matters related to Serenierre, but the fact is that we felt that the situation was reaching such a situation that firm action was needed to salvage the situation. I'm sure you must be aware of the fact of Provincial Secretary Gagnon's assassination in Bouenville. That really has been what has sent us in Villesen to become harsher on this issue. As you can surely understand."

"On the issue of militarisation of the border," she put on her spectacles and flipped through a few pages, "The military build up that had occurred last year has been scaled down, as was agreed to between Villesen and Chagny, however the defensive presence of the military shall continue to remain on the border, as it does on all of our frontiers. But I want to assure you, our military presence is not geared to go on the offensive. As you may be aware, our Government has invested significantly only in defensive lines on our borders, meant to hinder any support leaking in from your side to the insurgents." She stopped to read something, "But if we can calm you, as of now, we only have three border security regiments on active duty on the border with Bourgogne. But in Arierre, we have an additional contingent of six regiments manning the border, again as you may know for obvious reasons. But to view this deployment as an army on your border is I think a mistake."

"I just want to clarify another matter, and do consider this an official complaint of sorts, we are indeed concerned about Burgundian expansionist foreign policy and have long sought a meeting such as this to indicate our concerns. You may remember that an official statement issued by Monsier Bertrand on," she looked at the Commissar.

" "

"Ah, yes, the second. We issued a statement calling on Burgundy to come to the table, however we did not receive any response as such. Thus when we received this request from your Government we were keen to meet." She turned to another page in her file. "Direct message from the Comrade Generalissimo for your Grand Duke."

She read: "The People's Republic is keen to look at its fellow sister state of Bourgogne as a good neighbour. However, it must be understood that the situation in our country is not such that we can normalise the diplomatic relation to such a degree that Embassies are re-opened. Nor can we take back the vitriol that has been said in the press or through our statements. But the need to calm the situation is clear. While, the tensions in the broader context of the region are not of concern to intra-Gallian affairs, the need to calm Gallia is at the utmost in our minds."

"Dean of Staff Darc, we come to this meeting with a clear intent to de-escalate the situation," Elisabeth said to him, after finishing reading the prepared statement, "at the very least, if we cannot normalise the status of our bilateral ties. It is, in our estimation, that the public's opinion would not allow Villesen to come across weak in regards to Bourgogne at a time when the insurgents are getting more aggressive. So, in my own estimation, I advise your side to consider that we keep the channels of communication open and ensure that the two Francophone sisterlands stay peaceful. So as they say, let us begin afresh?"

She knew that this would go over well. But her mind was pre-occupied with other regional issues that were at play. Before the calm of silence took over the room, she continued, "However, Mr. Darc, I am concerned and in fact the ulterior reason for my having insisted on our acceptance of this invitation..." she hesitated, "is the situation in Borovanger, a neighbour to the two of our lands. The civil war which rages there is indeed a concerning matter for, we hope, Chagny and Villesen." She looked around the room, "I'm sure there is no one present here, who does not realise the threat to the system of both of our lands by the radical ideology of Prometheism. So while, of course, normalising the ties of our two lands was the foremost concern for us in Villesen, the issue of Borovanger, too, weighs heavily on our minds. So, seeing that a senior delegation from both Serenierre and Bourgogne find themselves facing each other... may we, as the delightful Engellexic expression goes, get a penny for your thoughts on the matter."

She leaned back and waited for the Darc and the Foreign Minister to respond. She was most interested to hear of what they had to say.
 

Záhorie

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Darc nodded with genuine concern at each of the points. He himself had maintained good relations with most diplomats over the years. His reputation for clear and concise answers was known but he still could evade points if necessary. His face betrayed little as he listened to each of the concerns, occasionally stopping to write a note or two. When his counterpart concluded he took a moment to run through his notes, carefully analyzing each point before responding.

"Madam, let me begin by discussing the exiled royalists, the so mentioned 'inability to silence the exiled Royalists in Chagny" he began, as he crossed the point off on his sheet of paper with a pencil which was so worn that it resembled a golf pencil. "We are committed to insuring that no action may take place in our territory which may have direct external ramifications- espionage, attempts to form an exiled fighting force etc. However, Burgundian law cannot stop them from speaking their mind, convening, and speaking to the press. If money is going to Eiffelland's banks it is there that action must be taken. There is no provision under our law which says that a citizen or resident may pass money to another bank. If the money from those banks is being passed onto 'insurgents', the buck must stop in Trier. We have made arrests and have done all that is possible under the law. Given public sentiment about your country, this has not been a politically popular move by our government. Already, the Grand Duke is facing resistance in both foreign and domestic affairs. We cannot possibly start rounding up people if they have broken no laws" he said with a tone so flat one would think it came from a machine. It was not an inhuman voice but one of patience and a dedication to pronunciation.

Darc turned to his colleague as he began to cross another item off of the list. Fouche had sat nearly motionless for the entire exchange except for squeezing some lemon in his water and taking a singular sip. With Darc looking at him, Fouche took the lead on the next item. "It is difficult for us to accept that, given the present situation, thousands of troops are parked on our border with nearly zero opposition. If the situation were reversed, you might be inclined to agree that even with the drawing back of troop numbers- this is a grave concern to us" he concluded. It was neither in-depth nor unclear. It was a concern of Bourgogne but only something they wished clarification on. "We wish to notify you that we will be placing a division of border police on the Arierre border. Mind you this is 100 additional men. This of course you will support on the premise that we do not want any royalists slipping back and fourth" he said now with a smile so fake that a blind man might see it. 100 men was nothing and given that they were border police would present no real threat. Yet Fouche thought it might annoy them just a little. His fake smile transformed into a real smirk as Darc took back control.

Darc slowly crossed the next item from the list. "You see, so much goes on at the Burgundian embassy in Trier, I am sure that the message from Monsieur Bertrand was somehow not addressed correctly. If our nations had some manner of representation in each other's nations- this might be avoided. It would seem this direct message from the Comrade Generalissim was misplaced as well" he said. He paused. "Yet we are at the table now.......and I should think things may change as the ambassador to Trier is set to retire this month. Perhaps things will run more smoothly" he said as a throw-away comment. "Now, this expansionist policy....where this comes from Madam, I haven't the clue. We have laid claim to no territory nor have we done anything to interfere with the sovereign government of our former colony...aside from gifting the President an automobile" he said, raising his palms in a sign of confusion on the accusation. "Some accusation of imperialism might be applicable if the situation in Ivernia were different. We have aided the Ivernish government at their invitation...not ours. If this imperialism to you, I draw your attention the Kadikistan's actions in the same conflict. Yet we hear no accusations of imperialism being thrown in their direction. We reject, unconditionally, any accusation of imperialism or expansionism" he said, without any sense of malice; yet there was a definite twinkle in the man's eye.

"If your public will not accept a reopening of embassies, I propose the ability to send special envoys between our two capitals so that if a dire situation might occur- it can be addressed instead of...." he said, waving his arms in a controlled manner at his surroundings "dealing with all of this". He smiled slightly before the smile disappeared. "If dialogue can only travel through indirect channels, then Madam, we increase risk for both of our nations" he said, with the most plain face which ever appeared on a living head.

The mention of an ulterior motive surprised neither of the men but neither knew what it could be. They had listened with genuine interest. Darc crossed the last item from the list, flipping the sheet over to an empty side before responding. "Borovanger is in dire straits. Prometheism, is very concerning to us. We do not wish to see either a Promethist, communist, or otherwise undemocratic government take hold. However, as you mentioned an expansionist Burgundian policy and I mentioned our eschewing of old imperial dreams- let me be clear- we will not interfere with the self determination of the people of Borovanger. We have watched with disdain as outside elements have pushed and pulled in this conflict. Bourgogne will continue to provide humanitarian aid where necessary to civilians. But that is the limit of our interest in interceding for now" Darc said, as he picked up the water glass and drained the remaining water.
 

Serenierre

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Elisabeth Martinique listened intently. Some suggestions were quite good and others were not particularly to her liking. But overall she liked the thrust of the Dean of Staff's argument. "Mr. Darc," she started. "Many interesting points."

"While I understand how your legal system binds your hands, you should not forget the political ramifications of allowing an active and visible presence of Royalists who are, dare I say, almost militant in their campaigning against the People's Republic. While, I know you cannot do anything more than what you have done," which was quite clearly not enough in her view, "We do need, I think, some public demonstration of the efficacy of Burgundian efforts to tackle this issue to disperse the notion that Chagny is sponsoring the Burgo-Royalist insurgency. I'm sure you understand the power of such a symbolic move."

"But on the point of the frontier, I do appreciate the attitude of Chagny. The fact that our two governments can sit and talk about this matter in such a calm way is indeed a positive step. But the fact of the matter is that Serenierre has taken considerable steps to de-escalate the situation. Last year, we had three infantry divisions on the actual frontier. However, upon the situation calming down, let me reiterate, we scaled it down to 9 regiments from the paramilitary forces of our Frontier Corps. To suggest that they are combat ready troops is a laughable notion." She threw her hands up in the air. Exasperated. "But, I suppose this is a moment not to let the past haunt the future. So, what do you say to this, we scale down the presence of border security on our side to four regiments in Arierre and one regiment on the rest of the border between our two countries. In equal measure, we expect at-least 800 men to be present on the Burgundian side of the frontier facing Arierre to strengthen your efforts to stop the flow of sympathisers into the province. What do you say?"

They continued. Now the discussion moved on to the status of diplomatic ties. She snapped at Darc when he suggested that what Comrade Serazin had said was misplaced. No member of the Communist Party would allow such a trivial attitude to be adopted with regards to him. After an appropriate reprimand, she continued, "You see, now this is an idea I can get behind. Special Envoys appointed to work with the Embassy of Eiffelland in both of our countries. I would propose that we take Trier on board before finalising this, but this is something which has great potential."

She smiled at Darc's defence of his country's actions in Ivernia. "Well, history does speak volumes with regards to Bourgogne's tendencies to invade and simply remain, as I am sure the people in Himyar can attest." She knew she shouldn't have said this - but after that dig at Serazin and that Kadikstan bit, this much was to be expected. "Well, on that issue, I would just say that how we both view the legitimate rulers of that country are different. You hold that the legitimate rulers invited you. We believe that the Kadikistani are behaving legitimately for responding to the call of those whom we believe to be legitimate for ideological reasons. Though, we are not here to discuss and debate the happenings of that far away land. Our concerns are more immediate."

"On the issue of Borovanger, I would simply like to say that we are concerned with the fact that there are foreign armies in Gallia. An essential aspect of Gallian diplomacy over the past many centuries has been to keep Borovanger as a neutral nation between Bourgogne and Serenierre. The historical balance has been struck by their neutrality, which successive rulers from Chagny and Villesen cultivated, but we in are concerned by the happenings there. And I want to categorically say that Serenierre does not believe that an ideologically awakened Borovanger is in anyone's interests - be it Serenierre or Bourgogne."

She did not say how the Politburo, despite being Kadikistan's ally was not too keen on the potential presence of a Marxist Leninovist state in the neighbourhood. If communism would triumph here in Gallia, it had to be that of Marxist-Serazinism. She continued. "But if you follow the happenings of that poor country, you must have seen the rapid advances that the prometheist forces have made over the spring offensive. It is indeed a difficult position for us all."
 

Záhorie

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Darc shifted in his seat. Not out of some disdain for anything said but rather his back. He had not had a comfortable flight and though he was relatively healthy, his back had always given him issues. He scribbled down a few more notes as his counterpart talked and studied each point as he wrote- all the while listening intently. It was nice to see that some progress was being made but he feared it was not enough to lift the concerns of the Burgundian government and other governments who had been carefully watching Serenierre poison the waters of stability.

"What does the madam suggest? We have done everything we can possibly do under the law. I will suggest to His Grace that a public statement is made. We must admit that we have done little against the Royalist exiles but that is simply because they have broken no Burgundian laws. Additionally they are protected by our law codes. However, we will do our best to continue our efforts" he said grimly. The Royalists were, as far as the Burgundian government was concerned, under control. The country had walked a tight rope with the exiles for some time.

The subject of the border was perhaps one of the most electric topics. Burgundian citizens had not only been offended by the presence of forces but also were deeply worried. The efforts by Serenierre to walk back security measures had been met with a sigh of relief in Burgundian homes. Now a delicate balance would be met...perhaps. "Madam, unlike your nation we do not garrison our borders quite so fervently. We don't have enough border police to meet 800. We could perhaps reach 400 or 500 but that is pushing it, even for us. We would have to invest in new facilities and stations. I would say 400 is the closest we could possibly achieve, at least this year. I also want to be clear that our efforts to stop people crossing back and fourth does not mean we will stop those who are crossing to claim political asylum. Again, Burgundian laws are quite clear on this point. However, we will continue to stop people from crossing into Serenierre if that is amicable" he said, crossing it off the list in a slow deliberate manner.

"We are agreed then on special envoys?" he half asked. This was the most important accomplisment of the meeting for the Burgundians- ability to truly communicate instead of through a 3rd party. "Your government will receive, within the next few days, a list of our prospective envoys. We will also alert your country when we have made a decision" he said, with a genuine smile. He leaned back, pulling pressure from his lower spine. Slightly more comfortable, he produced an antique olive wood pipe. He lit a match and drew in on the tobacco. The tobacco was fragrant and smelled slightly of vanilla.

"I believe you refer to the Peninsular Republic?" he asked quietly. The new nation had struggled quite a bit and though Bourgogne watched closely, it was a largely hands off policy towards the former colony. "I believe these issues to be important, Madam. This is how we see the world. Understanding how we see the world is key to our future. We find the presence of your 'volunteers' to be heartily troubling. There are those in the governments of other nations who view this as imperialist aggression and those in my own government who find this to be a challenge to Bourgogne itself"
 

Serenierre

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Chief Commissar Martinique looked at Darc with a feigned sense of defeat. "Oh, yes, it is quite alright we understand this strange peculiarity of the Burgundian legal system. But to connect the issue to the border, we genuinely believe it is essential that the border forces on either side work their best to prevent illegal elements from crossing over into their territory. Thus, if you can provide 400 genuine and properly informed officers to guard the Burgundian side of the frontier, we will respect your decision. As promised, we will downgrade our own border presence on the shared frontier from military forces to the Frontier Guards*. I do hope that this is seen as a genuine gesture aimed at calming the tensions. However, the presence of some military units will remain along the border we share in the Arierre provincial region given the particular sensitivities of that area which are fully apparent to everyone. But their numbers will be halved. Satisfactory?"

As the conversation moved to Borovanger, Martinique smiled slightly and listened to the Burgundian man. "Mr Darc, the issue of the volunteers is something the Government of the People's Republic has not initiated nor supported beyond offering moral support. These individuals are free actors who have ventured into the conflict there of their own free will. The Legal Code in our country does not quite preclude people from exercising their free will." If they can use their laws, she thought, so can we. "But on the use of the term 'imperialist aggression', I take exception to the use of this expression. Now, if Villesen would have deployed active units of its military in another state that would have been another matter, but here we have done nothing of the kind. They are not my volunteers. So to think that Villesen is taking tips from Chagny in its foreign policy is wrong. Foreign interventions are more of a northern Gallian trend." The room was tense again. "But to reiterate, the Revolutionary Guards have nothing to do with the Government of the People's Republic."

"But Mr Darc, let our disagreements not dampen the strides we have made in achieving a regional calm once more."

* - Border police
 

Záhorie

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Darc frowned. Then shrugged. "I am afraid Bourgogne and Serenierre will not see eye to eye on this matter. I frankly am not prepared to discuss this matter much further" he said with disdain. His expression returned to one of content confidence while he wrote several fast sentences down. "Madam, Bourgogne's position is non-intervention. You may be assured that His Grace's government will not intervene. Do you have any final questions madam?"
 

Serenierre

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"Yes, I think that shall be enough. But we must be prepared to not let hawks in our respective cabinets not let the progress achieved in these talks to be damaged. Additionally, in my closing words I want to emphasise that whatever is said in the news media should not dictate our bilateral relationship. There may be times where the rhetoric of either side's news media might be problematic, but we should remain mindful of what has been achieved here."
 

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Darc sighed. He glanced through his notes before passing them to his Burgundian counterpart. He looked at the ceiling in thought before he spoke. "I agree we should work against damaging this progress. I also agree press can be problematic. Thankfully, your government...monitors its media. That should be helpful" he said. "I merely wish to ensure that we remain on the same page. Hopefully these volunteers to Borovanger are truly receiving no support from your government. I would not wish to see that as an issue" he said slowly. He stood, gathering his papers on the table in front of him. He bowed slightly as his partner left the room. He gathered up his things and moved towards the door. He paused, and turned. Standing just inside the doorway, he smiled. "Madam, I should personally and in an unofficial capacity thank your government and media. Had your government so sternly dealt with us, along with the government of Gouw Marken, we might have continued our reaction against the dictatorial republic and might very well have become a nation of socialists. So, thank you" he said, the smile broadening. He bowed again slowly before leaving the room.
 
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