Hesperia
Mr. Capitalism
Grand Conference Chamber
Diwan of Foreign Affairs
Sultan Harun Palace, 4 Sultan Faisal Road,
Al A’raf, Sultanate of Hajr
The Grand Conference Chamber had originally been built to serve as the office of the Franconian Resident, the pseudo-ambassador who was, in fact, the most powerful man in the Sultanate during the colonial era. When the Residency Palace had been abandoned as the Franconians had withdrawn from their protectorate as a whole, it was rechristened the Sultan Harun Palace, named after the progenitor of the current line of Sultans, and was given to the newly created Diwan of Foreign Affairs, symbol of the newly re-won independence of Hajr.
The Resident’s office chamber, with its superb view of the lake on which Al A’raf was situated, with the mountains looming in the distance, now served as the place where the Sultanate received foreign diplomats for major conferences. At its center, the large expanse of the marble floor was dominated by a long mahogany table that stretched a good deal of the chamber’s length.
At this table were gathered as unlikely a group of diplomats as any imaginable: the nations of Himyar. Hajri officials had managed to bring together some of the fiercest rivals and dedicated enemies in all of Europe, and all for one issue: the Fulanistan crisis.
The Batavian attempt to unify former colony and former overlord in a political union had roused the ire of almost the entire continent. The sudden and unexpected move had caught many napping, and morning tempers were rife. Foreign meddling in the Southern Hemisphere would not be tolerated.
Thus it was that Ali ibn Maktoum al-Ma’muni, effectively the Hajri foreign minister (though officially the post was the Sultan’s), addressed the representatives of Wazistan, Frescania, Axum, Talemantros, and Akhaltsikhe. He had never expected to even meet a Wazi diplomat—let alone one from Akhaltsikhe, so deeply hated by the Arabs. Never say never, then, was his wry thought.
“Fellow Himyarites, let me open our meeting, by saying that I am most thankful for your presence. All of us are aware of the differences that separate us. None of us, I think, could have predicted this conference, unifying all of our nations, even a month ago. Many of our nations still have outstanding, nigh on irreconcilable differences at this time.
“Nevertheless we are all gathered here. We, the nations of Himyar, are here to formulate a common response to the crisis, to show the world that our business is ours alone, and nobody else’s.”
Ending his short speech, al-Ma’muni set the agenda for the summit. The Hajris had prepared several points of discussion:
• The position of the attending Powers regarding the Fulanistan Crisis;
• The formulation of a joint statement, containing the agreed-on mutual Himyarite position, on the crisis, by the attending Parties;
• Sanctions in the case of a Batavian rejection of the joint statement;
• Bringing Fulanistan into the united Himyarite front;
• Ensuring regional unity in regards to the crisis.
As the representative of the organizing Power, al-Ma’muni took the opportunity to elaborate on the Sultanate’s positions regarding the points on the agenda.
“Our position, gentlemen, regarding the crisis is that the Batavian Commonwealth is an unacceptable intrusion upon the inviolable sovereignty of an independent Himyarite nation. His Majesty the Sultan is of the opinion that Batavia must unconditionally withdraw its claim to the position of head-of-state of Fulanistan. Having done so, the so-called Batavian Commonwealth will no longer exist except in theory. Himyar must, in our eyes, take this position, in order to establish once and for all that this type of behavior towards our continent is completely and totally unacceptable.
“As a result, Hajr argues that we should formulate the joint statement, to be released upon the conclusion of this summit, with the following points in mind: the inviolable sovereignty of every Himyarite nation, Fulanistan in particular; the unconditional demand that Batavia withdraw its claims on Fulanistan; the offer to Batavia of a diplomatic conference in which it and the nations of Himyar—Fulanistan included—will attempt to settle their differences; and finally the warning that the failure of diplomacy will result in sanctions by the nations of Himyar.”
The Hajri minister took a quick drink of water before continuing. “This brings us to our position in regards to possible sanctions, which, in our eyes, must be enacted if Batavia fails to comply with our demands. As a major oil producer as well as exporter, we ensure our fellow attending Parties that we will enact a total and uncompromising oil embargo on the Batavian Republic if they refuse to cooperate. We call on our fellow Himyarite oil producers to adopt the same policy, if need be. In addition, we call on those Himyarites who do not possess oil industries of importance to prepare economic sanctions of a different kind, and enact them if the need arises.
“On the issue of Fulanistan’s inclusion into our regional front of unity, His Majesty the Sultan is of the opinion that we must ensure that the voice of the Fulani people is heard in this matter. Our coming joint statement, or any future ones, will greatly benefit if the signature of a major Fulani political figure is added to it.
“Finally, the Sultanate is adamant that this assembly of nations must remain unified until the crisis has been resolved. We therefore propose that, upon concluding this summit, our assembled nations agree to a future conference, to be held within a reasonable amount of time in another capital of Himyar, to discuss new developments in the crisis, review how far we have come in achieving our goals, and, generally speaking, to keep regional dialogue on the issue alive.”
Al-Ma’muni fell silent for a moment, shifting in his traditional robes. “We invite our fellow Himyarites to communicate their positions on the points on the agenda.”
Diwan of Foreign Affairs
Sultan Harun Palace, 4 Sultan Faisal Road,
Al A’raf, Sultanate of Hajr
The Grand Conference Chamber had originally been built to serve as the office of the Franconian Resident, the pseudo-ambassador who was, in fact, the most powerful man in the Sultanate during the colonial era. When the Residency Palace had been abandoned as the Franconians had withdrawn from their protectorate as a whole, it was rechristened the Sultan Harun Palace, named after the progenitor of the current line of Sultans, and was given to the newly created Diwan of Foreign Affairs, symbol of the newly re-won independence of Hajr.
The Resident’s office chamber, with its superb view of the lake on which Al A’raf was situated, with the mountains looming in the distance, now served as the place where the Sultanate received foreign diplomats for major conferences. At its center, the large expanse of the marble floor was dominated by a long mahogany table that stretched a good deal of the chamber’s length.
At this table were gathered as unlikely a group of diplomats as any imaginable: the nations of Himyar. Hajri officials had managed to bring together some of the fiercest rivals and dedicated enemies in all of Europe, and all for one issue: the Fulanistan crisis.
The Batavian attempt to unify former colony and former overlord in a political union had roused the ire of almost the entire continent. The sudden and unexpected move had caught many napping, and morning tempers were rife. Foreign meddling in the Southern Hemisphere would not be tolerated.
Thus it was that Ali ibn Maktoum al-Ma’muni, effectively the Hajri foreign minister (though officially the post was the Sultan’s), addressed the representatives of Wazistan, Frescania, Axum, Talemantros, and Akhaltsikhe. He had never expected to even meet a Wazi diplomat—let alone one from Akhaltsikhe, so deeply hated by the Arabs. Never say never, then, was his wry thought.
“Fellow Himyarites, let me open our meeting, by saying that I am most thankful for your presence. All of us are aware of the differences that separate us. None of us, I think, could have predicted this conference, unifying all of our nations, even a month ago. Many of our nations still have outstanding, nigh on irreconcilable differences at this time.
“Nevertheless we are all gathered here. We, the nations of Himyar, are here to formulate a common response to the crisis, to show the world that our business is ours alone, and nobody else’s.”
Ending his short speech, al-Ma’muni set the agenda for the summit. The Hajris had prepared several points of discussion:
• The position of the attending Powers regarding the Fulanistan Crisis;
• The formulation of a joint statement, containing the agreed-on mutual Himyarite position, on the crisis, by the attending Parties;
• Sanctions in the case of a Batavian rejection of the joint statement;
• Bringing Fulanistan into the united Himyarite front;
• Ensuring regional unity in regards to the crisis.
As the representative of the organizing Power, al-Ma’muni took the opportunity to elaborate on the Sultanate’s positions regarding the points on the agenda.
“Our position, gentlemen, regarding the crisis is that the Batavian Commonwealth is an unacceptable intrusion upon the inviolable sovereignty of an independent Himyarite nation. His Majesty the Sultan is of the opinion that Batavia must unconditionally withdraw its claim to the position of head-of-state of Fulanistan. Having done so, the so-called Batavian Commonwealth will no longer exist except in theory. Himyar must, in our eyes, take this position, in order to establish once and for all that this type of behavior towards our continent is completely and totally unacceptable.
“As a result, Hajr argues that we should formulate the joint statement, to be released upon the conclusion of this summit, with the following points in mind: the inviolable sovereignty of every Himyarite nation, Fulanistan in particular; the unconditional demand that Batavia withdraw its claims on Fulanistan; the offer to Batavia of a diplomatic conference in which it and the nations of Himyar—Fulanistan included—will attempt to settle their differences; and finally the warning that the failure of diplomacy will result in sanctions by the nations of Himyar.”
The Hajri minister took a quick drink of water before continuing. “This brings us to our position in regards to possible sanctions, which, in our eyes, must be enacted if Batavia fails to comply with our demands. As a major oil producer as well as exporter, we ensure our fellow attending Parties that we will enact a total and uncompromising oil embargo on the Batavian Republic if they refuse to cooperate. We call on our fellow Himyarite oil producers to adopt the same policy, if need be. In addition, we call on those Himyarites who do not possess oil industries of importance to prepare economic sanctions of a different kind, and enact them if the need arises.
“On the issue of Fulanistan’s inclusion into our regional front of unity, His Majesty the Sultan is of the opinion that we must ensure that the voice of the Fulani people is heard in this matter. Our coming joint statement, or any future ones, will greatly benefit if the signature of a major Fulani political figure is added to it.
“Finally, the Sultanate is adamant that this assembly of nations must remain unified until the crisis has been resolved. We therefore propose that, upon concluding this summit, our assembled nations agree to a future conference, to be held within a reasonable amount of time in another capital of Himyar, to discuss new developments in the crisis, review how far we have come in achieving our goals, and, generally speaking, to keep regional dialogue on the issue alive.”
Al-Ma’muni fell silent for a moment, shifting in his traditional robes. “We invite our fellow Himyarites to communicate their positions on the points on the agenda.”