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Wind of Change

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It was 11 o'clock, and Minister of the Foreign Affairs Nicola Averill was standing in the area of the Kingsbridge International Airport used by the Air Force. She was quite young and fairly attractive with her 36 years, 1,76m height and dark brown hair. It was a rather warm day, although a bit cloudy, as Minister Averill was awaiting the arrival of her Cakistani counterpart.

Her boss, the recently appointed President had decided to take up talks and perhaps even further trade and cooperation with the neighbouring United Emirates of Cakistan, which, until recently, was not subject of great attention of the Republic of Kerethia, partly because Cakistan was quite religious. Something usually looked down upon in Kerethia, but President Dober had brought a little change to that, although resentments still remained.

Of course, all that was of little concern to the Minister at the current time, as the plane carrying the Cakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs Orhan Abd Nasir, set down on the runway and slowly rolled before the hangar, where it came to a stop. A stair car approached the plane and docked it, and the door was swung open. Averill took a deep breath and prepared herself to welcome the Minister, while the obligatory Honour Guard took position.
 
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Minister of External Affairs Orhan Abd Nasir looked about the small, if lavish, jet he had been assigned for this mission. He had argued for the use of one of the larger executive jets in the UEC inventory for this mission, Kerethia was after all a militarist state, and militarists tended to judge visitors by things like the size of jet one came in. Or at Kerethia had been, what they were today was much more in question, and indeed that very uncertainty was a large reason for this trip. Either way though, it would have given him room to stretch his legs a bit and walk around the larger cabin.

The whine of the flaps extending signaled the plane had settled into final approach, and Nasir looked about to his staff. His principal political assistant Gani Omer sat across from him, along with his military attaché Major Sabar. "Well, Gani, are we ready." he asked, by now something of a ritual between the minister and his primary assistant. She smiled back flashing her white teeth, "Of course, Minister."

Once the plane finished landing, Nasir and his staff rose and he took a minute to ensure his appearance and do what he could to unrumple his suit from his journey. The suit was grey, and as was his tradition Nasir had forgone the western accoutrement of a tie, instead his collar was open. After the quick once over he descended the stairs onto the tarmac. After his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight Nasir looked around, taking note of the honor guard whose uniforms were all spit and polish in the light. He scanned the dignitaries for the Foreign Minister from Kerethia, she was quite young he recalled.
 
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The Honour Guard paid it's respects to the guests of the Republic by saluting the Cakistanis. Minister Averill took a few steps toward Minister Nasir and his two attendants. "Welcome to the Republic of Kerethia, Minister Nasir, I am Nicole Averill. Please follow me, the conference will take place in the officers' mess."

She proceeded to lead the way to a two-story building that seemed to be built in the early 1960's. It was right next to the hangar in front of which the jet from Cakistan had landed, so after only a few steps, the group was inside, where Averill proceeded to lead the three into an elevator. The elevator panel only indicated three accessible levels, but the level they were going seemed to be rather deep.

Soon enough, the "officers' mess" turned out to be a refitted underground command centre, previously used by the Air force. But now instead of fancy electronics, consoles and oversized maps, a big round table was located in the middle of it, with the obligatory bottles of juice and water on it.

Beside Minister Nasir and his two attendees as well as Minister Averill, there were three armed men guarding the elevator door, and what seemed to be a waiter waiting in the background, probably ready to provide snacks if need be. Someone was also sitting next to the chair designated for Averill, responsible for writing a protocol and translate if it was so required.

"Please excuse the rather unusual spot, but things are still a little bit chaotic after what happened on the 14th of October." explained Minister Nicola Averill. She then pointed to the table. "Have a seat."
 
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"Thank you, Minister Averill, and there is nothing to excuse. In truth, my staff was quite surprised you were able to get this meeting together so quickly, given the situation. Also, Please allow me to personally express my condolences to both you and the people of Kerethia. It is my hope that in the wake of this tragedy our two countries can find renewed common ground."
 
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"Thank you. It is the hope of my government as well that we work closer together instead of ignoring each other as was the case for far too long now." replied Averill. "The first thing we'd like to discuss is the current instability of our common neighbour, Abruzicstan."

"So far the only action we took was evacuating Kerethian citizens out of there and close our borders for private travel. We do still, however, have minor trading going on with the regions adjacent to our border. As you know, right now military forces from Belmont and Zivotinje have been stationed there. But it is questionable whether their efforts are going to be successful, and I am sure that with your recent troop deployment you have similar concerns." Averill took a short sip of orange juice, awaiting the response from Nasir.
 
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Minister Nasir took a sip from his juice, wishing strongly that it was something stronger, a thought that would horrify many of his fellow Muslims. The Minister however believed himself to be a man who the rules did not fully apply to, or maybe he had just seen to much in his Peshmerga career to believe in the afterlife he publicly proclaimed.

Clearing his throat the Minister began, "I must admit that the Emirates are not fully convinced of the benevolence of the Kingdom of Belmont in the situation. In utmost confidence our intelligence has just informed me that most of what is left of the Abruzicstan Army is deploying to the northern border now. 125 thousand men in response to 45 thousand, it is an over reaction of staggering proportions and the Emirates have a hard time seeing how it could be begin. We had clear reasons to worry about our border security, Allah forbid, we expect that we will soon see thousands flooding our borders looking for relief from conflict and suffering..." Minister Nasir stopped here, appearing choked up in his own words and thoughts.

Suddenly the Minister face grew tense and angry. "The bastards still think it is a hundred years ago and they must control our destiny. No. No! If Himyar is ever going to be recognized as an equal in international politics these type of things must stop. We must take responsibility for each other. We must stand together."

The Minister took a breath, purposefully calming himself, "But the situation is complex. The Blue Union is involved, and certainly the Emirates seeks no conflict with them. Damn their ancestors! And damn the Abruzzi's too! We cannot allow them to do this to us again. A line must be drawn." His calming was seemingly unsuccessful.

Taking another drink from his juice, the Minister again attempted to calm himself. This time with better result. "Please excuse me Minister. In many ways I remain more the old soldiers than the diplomat. Perhaps this fine suit does not wear as well as my old uniform."
 
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"Minister," replied Averill, surprised by the emotional outburst of her counterpart; " I understand your concern. And we would like to offer a military self defence pact. Especially so to unite our efforts to keep our Nations safe and concentrate on that matter instead of suspecting and threatening each other. We also think it would be a good idea to offer assistance to Belmont and Zivotnije in order to stabilize Abruzicstan. Once stabilised, there would surely not be a need for larger military formations from Nations outside our region. My government would even be willing to offer and provide military assistance." she finished, indicating that she was now waiting for an response.
 
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"I think a mutual defense and non-aggression pact would be quite agreeable. As for offering assistance to Belmont and Zivotnije, I am a bit more concerned about that. Having too many different countries troops in one area without a shared chain of command risks... accidents that can end up unpleasantly. The Emirates have no desire to risk a war because a scared Lieutenant or Captain makes a bad decision while under fire." Nasir took a moment to consider the situation, playing with his beard, a nervous habit of his.

"It is the view of the Emirates we should release a joint statement, perhaps joined by other regional powers if they see fit. The statement would be something along the lines of: First, we expect Abruzicstan to remain a united country and for the Abruzzi government to resume full sovereignty over their territory as soon as practicable. Second, we consider Belmont and Zivotnije to be joint occupying powers and that they assume all legal responsibilities and duties thereof. Third, we expect the timely withdrawal of all foreign troops once the situation in Abruzicstan is stabilized and a new domestic government is in power. Fourth, we as the neighboring powers expect to be consulted on any long term decisions regarding Abruzicstan, including any further increase in forces. We might also request prior notice before foreign military forces come within a certain distance of our borders, say 5 or 10 kilometers in order to help prevent any surprises and misunderstandings. I think that a statement of that effect would be well received by most of the rest of the world community."
 
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