Strait crossing fees

[Borys]

Let's resolve the issue the contemporary way. With a Congress of Powers. In Den Haag.

[Carthaginian]

P3D

I was unaware of the joke, and am very aware of the respective sizes and experience levels of the bull and matador in question. ;) I was just trying to point out that Iberia had made it's point about Dover via France's reaction over Gibraltar.

Borys,

The CSA will happily attend, though the proposed articles on piracy might need a bit of altering. :D

[Borys]

Ahoj!
I knew the joke.
I haven't gone through all the proposed articles yet.
And to make it better known to new players (I myself leart this after two or three months of playing) - the flag flying over Tarik's Montain, Djebel Tarik, Gibraltar, is the flag of the Imperial Russian Fleet.

Borys

[swamphen]

It would appear that no Brandenburgian ships will be passing through the Torres Strait any time soon...

(Although given that it's likely nearly 100% internal Swiss traffic that uses it anyway, it'll probably cost more to collect the fees than the fees collected will cover.  8) )

[Desertfox]

Swampy, small civilian ships (under 70meters) can pass for free, as can warships not carrying 5" or bigger guns or torpedoes over 16".

[swamphen]

"No Brandenburgian Vessel Shall Pay For The Usage Of The High Seas."

[Carthaginian]

Swampy, small civilian ships (under 70meters) can pass for free, as can warships not carrying 5" or bigger guns or torpedoes over 16".

So as long as the warships don't have the guns in their hands, but rather on their decks, we are ok... right? :P

[Desertfox]

Course Swampy, if your willing to risk your very valuable Scharnhorsts in a 1 mile reef filled strait infamous for its shipwreaks, without the assistance of a pilot familiar with the waters, who am I to complain? In fact I feel like giving certain DKB free passage thru those waters, could save me a few torpedoes. :P

[Borys]

Ahoj!
Minor note - the piloted passage was forced upon shippers in the 1990s. On the pretext of protection of some useless reefs from ships! Before that skippers cheerfully coped without.

Borys

[miketr]

I guess it's time to change over duty station of the first and second main battlefleets and their support groups.

Tsk, Tsk, why is a perfectly legal exercise of nations soverign powers to do as it wishes over its own territory a call for threats of force.  Unless the French government thinks the Iberian governments actions are some how unreasonable?  Reasonable countries just as well as reasonable people can work out minor differences.  If Paris would be so good as to explain what it finds objectional and why I assure you that such a statement will be well received by His Imerpial Majesties Government in Madrid.

Iberia

Because it is not a perfectly legal exercise of sovereign power, it is an attempt of piracy on the high seas, several countries, the Netherlands among them, do not acknowledge your claim to the straits.

So in effect if you try to enforce such a claim, you will have a war on your hands when you try to block ships in innocent passage.

Since the motive of Madrids actions has not clear for whatever reason we wikk clear said actions up.

1) Iberia as noted in our first statement considers the claim of the Norman Kingdom and France over the straits of Dover to be totally without merit.

2) As such the idea the idea of exercising sovereignty over said body of water by refusing other nations access is also without merit.

3) To illustrate the ludicrous nature of Frances and the Norman Kingdoms actions we have responded in kind.  Our declaration is directly tied to theirs and if you note we are "claiming" restriction only over their military shipping at this time and not even then for several months. 

4) That France has chosen to respond with an implied threat of force and not as of yet on the merits of our claim with debate; merely shows that they know they are in a corner from a legal point of view.  The only way they can challenge our claim will by clear extension destroying their own claim to the Strait of Dover.

Madrid will make its stance totally clear, we are willing to drop our claim of sovereignty over the strait of Gibraltar in exchange for a matching action over the Strait of Dover.  If this is part of a conference on the nature of the high sea's so much the better.