Treaty of Neuostland
From Acw
The Treaty of Neuostland is the name of the agreement signed by Makgraf Gustav von Paulus on behalf of Grossdeutschland, and Special Commissar Konstantin Sovietyevich Andropov on behalf of the USSR at the conclusion to the Neuostland Crisis of 2367. Although overshadowed by the arrival of the Ark Ships, the treaty has attracted some controversy, with many commentators unconvinced that the Russian state would so easily back down after launching history's first orbital invasion at such great cost.
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Neuostland Crisis
Main article: Neuostland Crisis
The Neuostland Crisis was sparked by a surprise invasion of the planet of Neuostland by Russian troops. While the speed of the invasion wrong-footed German defenders, inaccurate intelligence cost the USSR the advantage of surprise, and resulted in a stalemate position, with neither side able to comprehensively claim victory. With the conflict ready to break into full-scale war at any moment, a peace conference was hastily organised, with representatives from all major spacefaring nations, and France as the Conference Chair. As the diplomatic process ground slowly forward, a series of crises drove the situation towards full-scale nuclear war; only interrupted by the sudden and unexpected arrival of the Arthurians. At some point near the end of this dramatic process, the two chief negotiators quietly signed off on what was to become the Treaty of Neuostland. Many of the circumstances surrounding the final hours of negotiation are unknown or deeply classified.
The Treaty of Neuostland
Preamble: Remembering always the common humanity that unites us across the stars, all parties to this treaty declare their clear intent to deal with each other honestly and openly, in a spirit of peace and respect. The great nations of Grossdeutschland and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics recognise each other not merely as equals, but as brothers, striving together towards mankind's manifest destiny to reshape the universe in his image. In this spirit, it is imperative not to allow inconsequential disagreements and petty misunderstandings to come between the two most gifted and powerful nations in the universe, lest we all be the poorer for it. To this end, the following agreement was signed by Makgraf Gustav von Paulus on behalf of Grossdeutschland, and Special Commissar Konstantin Sovietyevich Andropov on behalf of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Clause 1: The parties to this treaty, Grossdeutschland and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (henceforth to be known as the GDL and the USSR), agree that their duly appointed representatives, Makgraf Gustav von Paulus of the GDL, and Special Commissar Konstantin Sovietyevich Andropov of the USSR, are granted extraordinary rights to speak on behalf on their respective nations, with the full binding force of interplanetary law guaranteed by the Treaty of New Westphalia.
Clause 2: Prior to the execution of clauses 3 through 8, the USSR, without admitting fault, undertakes to remove its military personnel, including the 1st Russian Interplanetary Corps, from the surface of Neuostland; followed then by the departure (within a reasonable timeframe) of all Russian military and commercial shipping from the Neuostland subsystem (comprising the planet of Neuostland and the moon Arminius), again without any implied or explicit recognition of illegality or fault.
Clause 3: The German administrators of Neuostland, however they are reconstituted, undertake, upon completion of the Russian withdrawal, to stand down local garrisons from combat readiness, and to withdraw the individual military units listed in Appendix A beyond the orbital limits of the planet. It should be noted that no withdrawal is required of German fleet units from the Neuostland subsystem.
Clause 4: Those forces remaining on the planet's surface are to be, where possible, confined to barracks, and kept isolated from the local populace where possible, until the successful completion of clause 5. Any incidents must be fully recorded and reported through the GDL's courts martial system, as well as the Arminian civil legal system; and complete records of these proceedings are to be forwarded to the French, British and American delegates on Arminius.
Clause 5: At the earliest possible opporunity, a force of unarmed military observers, composed of French, British and American personnel (with overall command ceded to the French nominee), shall land on the planet's surface, and set up a network of observation posts - particularly in the vicinity of population centres. This force is to be known as NEUFOR.
Clause 6: Upon completion of NEUFOR's deployment, the GDL is to resume unfettered administration of the planet of Neuostland; with the caveat that NEUFOR must not be hindered in its work as outlined in clause 7. All reasonable efforts must be made to assist NEUFOR, and any reasonable request complied with. Appropriately licensed NEUFOR investigators are also to be given access to documents held by the Arminian administration, where the receipt of those documents would not jeopardise national security. Where a disagreement arises between NEUFOR and GDL administrators, an appeal may be made directly to the German Office of Foreign and Interplanetary Affairs.
Clause 7: NEUFOR is licensed to operate on the surface of Neuostland for a period of five (5) full years, with a discretionary six (6) month period of withdrawal and liquidation. During this time, it is to monitor the physical safety and economic conditions of the people of Neuostland, in order that a determination might later be made on whether multi-lateral humanitarian intervention or further political settlement will prove necessary. A more detailed description of NEUFOR's license is provided in Appendix B.
Clause 8: At the conclusion of NEUFOR's term, a commission will be established, including representatives of the GDL, the USSR, the UISA, and the SBE, to make determinations based on NEUFOR's findings. The terms of this commission's inquiry are defined in Appendix C.
