The 1730 Roman arbitration is a political council held between Sicily, The Papal State, The Italian League and Belka aimed at disarming the tension on the Italian peninsula and avoid a potential Great European war in the process as well. The Council is to be arbitrated by the Pope standing as the neutral party
Reasons for Hostilities?
Belka: We remain rather unsure as to why Sicily has attempted to launch hostilities on our erstwhile ally the Italian league. This is upsetting the power balance of the region, and this has already happened once before. We remind Sicily that the last Sicilo-League war ended in an outright victory by the Belko-League forces over Sicily, and Sicily's ally Iberia was unable to break the blockade to land a relief force. Considering the Sicilians are under the same issue, and the fact the Austria can be considered a legitimate threat Belka requests
- Sicily display its secret alliances that were made for the sake of this war so as to reveal the scale of what Sicily was trying to start
- Immediately demobilize its army to a peace time strength and withdraw to Garrison duties within your kingdom
- come to the table here at these negotiations reasonably and without grandiose claims.
Sicily: While perhaps your side considers Sicily the aggressor, in reality hostilities began decades ago, when Belka decided to throw off the balance of power and intervene in Italian politics, beginning with the establishment of the League and the Belko-Sicilian War. Perhaps Sicily is simply trying to restore order and keep Slavic influence out. As for "the sake of this war" seen in your demands, it is clear that there is no war, unless you wish to make it so.
Sicily requests:
- Belka disband its alliance with Great Britain. This is to help relieve tensions in Europe and help return to the status quo.
- Belka remove the blockade of the Sicilian coast and return the ships to their origin ports.
- Belka will not interfere with the diplomatic relations of the Sicilian Kingdom; in exchange, Sicily will not interfere with Belkan relations.
- Retain a geopolitical status quo on the peninsula.
Belkan rebuttal:
- You DO NOT dictate our allies or foreign policy. Belka has a low intensity rivalry with Spain over Medditerrenean matters which can be balanced out by an alliance with the British. You have no say in this as this is our THIRD alliance with the British which is created out of geostrategic concern and I intent to keep it.
- Sicily will have the blockade removed the minute Czar Petar is assured there will be no war
- Sicily is to cease it attempt to harm the Italian leagues trade. Any further action is considered an act of War on the League and by Extention Belka.
- Any discovery of Sicilian spies, soldiers, and illicit activity within the League will be considered an act of war and will be treated by Belka and her allies in the highest degree.
- The Sicilians will at this time disclose any secret alliances it has brought up for this potential conflict. There are no secrets here.
Arbitration and Debate
For the Arbitration and Debate stage of this.
OOC Person: So you won't intefere in Belkan diplomatic relations but you demand who they make allies with?
Another OOC Person: I agree its really hypocritical for the Sicilians to dictate Belkan policy while they are asking Belka to mind her own business.
OOC Orange: Perhaps it was poorly worded when I said "Sicily will do the same." What I meant was that Sicily will leave Belka to its own diplomatic devices, save for the alliance with Britain.
OOC Person: that's still interfering with another countries politics if you want to be left alone on the Diplomatic front then don't try and meddle in other and more powerful countries affairs.
OOC Feud: If you try to dictate my foreign policy i will make sure you dont have foreign policy.
OOC Feud: Will also inform you the nation that started hostilities and Belkan involvement was Venice who took advantage of our conflict with the Late Caliphate to take control of our trade routes. Since this is the 2nd or 3rd issue Europe in general has had with the Venetians Belka ended the threat and allowed a more open and democratic government to take place in Italy allowing a power sharing between the various Italian cities. The League has more or less had a stabilizing effect on Italy not a destabilizing one.
OOC Gen: Can Iberia join this conference?
Saxony OCC: I know I have no right to be here. But, just trying to help mediate. I propose that Belka be allowed to support its ally in the league as if they were a puppet all the radical Russian republicans in the league would likely be dead by now. Also, considering that Belka borders the Aegean Sea they have stakes there and must ensure their trade is secure in the area as does Sicily. Thus the Sicilians will reveal their secret alliances and break them off in exchange for money from the League or Belka. Also, a Neutral zone administer by the Papal States consisting of the Sicilian-League Border area. Also both sides will put a set amount of money in a bank in the Papal States and that money will be payed back to both sides in 1800. But, if one side starts a war with the other then all of the money will go to the defender. Thus adding even more incentive not to start conflict.
Poland OOC: It would be nice if that would happen, but it wont the Sicilians have threatened to and attempted to invade the League twice they cant be trusted the league is a peaceful nation that doesn't want to be conquered by the untrustworthy Sicilians who have invaded twice before.
OOC Orange: Well if I can't dictate my adversaries' foreign policies, Belka has no right to dictate mine either. I'm not disclosing or breaking any secret alliances. For the third time, Britain cannot project power into the Mediterranean. And the fact that Belka even intervened in the conflict with Venice is still destabilizing in upsetting the geopolitical balance. Italy does not need to be puppeteered by Slavic imperialists. If you really want to have a stabilizing effect, perhaps I should quote you and put it in a different context: "LEAVE THE ITALIAN LEAGUE ALONE." And Poland, don't go around calling me "untrustworthy" when your precious little ally Belka decided to conquer the perfectly functioning, Italian-ruled Venetian Republic and installing a non-Italian puppet government. Talk about "untrustworthy." Unless we negotiate a fair deal not totally weighted towards Belka, my alliances and offer to France stand; same goes with trade disputes over Cyprus.
OOC Person/ England: I am not projecting power into the med, Iberia has 2 coasts, an Atlantic one and a Mediterranean one, I can project into the Atlantic, notice how no mod has said no the arrangement yet (if you have an issue consult one) so don't give me rubbish about me projecting power into the med because I have a defensive alliance with Belka. It's 1730 nations can communicate.
OOC Jackson/Poland: Iberia isn't going to break the Belkan blockade and Austria Hungary wont hold long France has been a Polish Ally for 60 years and wont throw that away especially to help a country like Sicily. When we storm Naples I promise we wont spare a soul, but we will loot the University and carry what we find back to Krakow.
OOC Orange: You'd have to project power into the Mediterranean to realistically have an alliance with Belka. You have no business in Italy. Belka has no business in the Atlantic. Defensive alliance? Psh. What's Iberia done to provoke you? Any ground for an alliance at this time would realistically revolve around the Italian Crisis. It's not Europa Universalis IV; you don't just ally someone because you want to. And the English people want nothing to do with Italy, as far as I'm concerned. They're far more worried about their day-to-day life, the wellbeing of their colonies, and British rule over your home islands. If you're going to be making defensive alliances, it should be to reclaim the Scandinavian Hebrides. And to Poland: France has their own interests in Italy; they want their own influence, and would throw out Bulgarian influence at the next chance they get. They're not throwing that away just because "some insignificant country in eastern Europe was our ally for 60 years." They have their own interests.
OOC Person: If you cite the alliance as ASB, stfu here and talk to a mod. This is for a conversation about whatever you want in Italy, not about the veracity of my alliance with Belka.
OOC Jackson: How many people does Naples have?
OOC Orange: If you meant the city of Naples, and not the Kingdom of Sicily, I would say Naples has a population of around 225,000 right now based on historical data. If you're trying to give me an idea of how many civilian casualties there will be, or how outnumbered I am, it's not working; I refuse to be blackmailed.
OOC Jackson: No, No blackmail I just have to bring about a quarter million Spikes for the Populis and and solders we capture. good luck also what happens if Russia tells Belka about your deal negotiations are done Russia isn't gonna accept.
OOC Orange: Nah, I'm pretty confident. Russia would much rather have Bessarabia and reliable access to the straits then propping up Bulgaria in a faraway region they don't even care about.
OOC Cal: Remember this is just a game people.
Papal Arbitration: The Papal diplomat proposes the following: Both Sicily and Italy (and allies) withdraw all troops from the border and end any blockades, and pull out all agents from the other country. All alliances be made public. A twenty-year non-aggression pact be signed, and be made a 'Papal & Patriarchal Peace' guaranteed by both the Pope and the Ecumanical Patriarch. If any country breaks it, that entire country will be placed under interdict. Belka give assurances that the government of Italy be made up of Italians [OOC I had assumed it was anyway, but the 'Slavic dominance' seems to be a sticking point for the Sicilians].
Jackson OOC: Good Peace! Poland can continue to make advancements in Maths and Science.
Orange OOC: The only thing I disagree with is the publicization of all alliances, which would only serve as a detriment to Sicily, who as far as I'm concerned is the only person who forged a secret alliance. I agree with the rest of it.
Jackson OOC: Orange, you've done royally fucked your self, you just Zimmerman telegraphed Belka which is gonna draw them off the table and want retribution as the Russia player stated "im not in the position to fight a war with belka." good luck with the war and have fun getting a quarter million impaled on spikes. ;)
Orange OOC: More provoking messages, I see? At the time of that message, negotiations were going nowhere. It was a Plan B scenario. At the same time, quit being such a pest with your psychological games.