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Pamplona Summit
Topic Started: Jan 17 2010, 12:43 PM (969 Views)
Union
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Pyrenees Republic
((Skipping the boring arrival off a plane scene, if you don't mind.))

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The delegates had arrived the night before, amid a media frenzy. It was a propaganda victory for the Huescan regime, to see the representatives of so many nations in the country so publicly. It was the first of its kind, since the fall of Spain, and in the minds of the pople cemented the Union not as a temporary, vestigial remnant of an old regime, but a new state of its own, one not necessarily cursed to share the fate of Hispania.

Many powers had arrived, though some, in particular Rome, were conspicuously absent. All though no delegates had mentioned the fact, and the state news reported no such thing, it was obvious that the lack of a Roman presence created a void, of sorts, in the proceedings. No matter, to Trouillefou. It was high time Europe took care of her own affairs.

Civil servants now scurried through the University, to the offices of the foreign delegations. They knocked, and when answered, delivered a small portfolio to them. It was a schedule of the next day.

The Union is pleased to welcome you to this most noble endeavor in the protection of the bodies and spirits of the European man.
Europe has long been a battleground for wars it did not start, and a picking ground for powers who do not belong.
Today, imperial claims on Europe include the Colognian puppet state, which threatens even greater war over a people that are not their own.
We stand today in declaration of the defense of the European man, and the freedom of her peoples - as well as the land they inhabit.

There was once a proud organization that defended Europe.
Malaise and war tore it apart, but it has come time for a successor to be established.
We will discuss, tomorrow, in the Romano Assembly Hall, at 10 o clock, the creation of a Pact. A pact of steel which can never be torn asunder.
This pact will be designed to protect the rights and lands of the European man from foreign colonisation.
It will protect the freedoms of the European man from domestic tyranny.
It will protect the noble European states from war with other entities, and serve as a forum for diplomatic talks amongst themselves.
It will serve as a coordinator of local economic efforts, to better the lives of the European man, above all others.
This is our goal.

We, here in the Union, hope that something substantive can be made in the following days to reach that goal.
We hope that your desire is similar. Europe was once a proud region - let it be that way again.
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Alberto
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Resident Italian
Ministère des Affaires Etrangères

The Republic of France has ressurected from its ashes and, altough it has not the might of the ancient one, it still represents the French people on Europe .
We know that without the French people an Union in Europe would be incomplete, for this we ask the permission to join this conference which will hopefully decide the destiny of our continent .
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Toussaint
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Major
((As the transmission was sent to all non-Roman, non-Colonial European states, I think you were invited, Alberto))

Lord Albert Bracknell and Lord Cyril Cornwallis received their portfolios and sipped down another Spanish wine. They eagerly awaited the conferences beginning.
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Deleted User
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Arthos Bedwyr took his own seat at the conference table. As being the only representative for the currently leaderless Celtic Empire, it was his job to restore relationships with the rest of Europe. The plans the portfolio outlined were interesting, and may prove useful for the Empire.
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
The Venetian diplomat, Lorenzo Ziccoti, glanced about the room while the rest chatted before the commencement of the conference. Try as he might, he could not find his Roman allies, a troublesome sign. A meeting regarding the future of Europe could hardly be conducted without the mighty Empire, who's border lay only a handful of miles to the south. Lorenzo was also worried how his presence at the summit might affect Veneto-Roman relations, as the recent activity in France now portrayed his nation in a different light in the Empire's eyes.

Being unsuccessful, the short Italian man sipped his glass of water, taking note of who was there.
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Menhad
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ET2(IDW)
Trapier Winrich von Kniprode quickly strode down the halls towards the meeting room, his boots clicking on the stone floor, and his white cloak swirling behind him.

His facial features where sharp, his nose was larger than most, and his eyes where small and black. His face narrowed down to a pointed chin and thin lips. It was no wonder that his personal crest was that of a hawk.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Recently elected Member of Parliament Giulio Altofiore strolled into the meeting place in Huesca. Interestingly seated next to the delegates of Venice and Great Britain, Minister Altofiore anxiously awaited for the conference to begin, though his personal demeanor and facial expressions betrayed nothing.
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Tristan da Cunha
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Science and Industry
The Prime Minister of Morbihan, Ramesses de Saxe, reviewed his portfolio and conversed with his fellow delegates.
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Union
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Pyrenees Republic
The delegates poured into the great lecture hall, where Trouillefou stood at the podium in the center. The seats were ordered in a semi circle around the podium, three seats to a desk, allowing foreign delegates to be seated with their parties, including a translator if necessary. Each desk had, on a plaque, the name of the state to be seated there. A brief chaotic period emerged as delegates sat themselves, but within half an hour, the meeting was ready to begin.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I do hope your trips were comfortable, and you have found all the comforts of home available to you here. You are here, and you have read our agenda, so I trust most everyone here is comfortable with the idea of an organization capable of protecting Europe both from threats beyond, and within.

I do not need to dwell on history - we all know the Great War, and the price of blood has been shared by most of us here today. Europe was ravaged by the Mongol armies of Gassel, and our boys died for a war we did not want, did not begin, and did not deserve. Let us take a moment of silence, now, to remember their sacrifice, the sacrifice that has inspired our meeting today.

...

We are all aware that decades ago, before Gassel's insanity, there was a proud organization in Europe which preserved continental freedom. This meeting, as you well know, is to rebuild such an organization. Out of the ashes of Europe many new kingdoms have arisen, and old faces have fallen. We can no longer depend on the superpowers of Germany, or Catholic Europe, to defend us. Many of us are in weakened states - Hispania and Cerdone are memories of a distant past, and the rump states that survive them are not nearly as capable. Yet some of us have survived this war. We look to powers such as Russia today for guidance, but we remember the lessons we have learned - all, not a few, must be capable as the others.

We are all disappointed in the chaos the post-Dominion world has offered. For a year now, we have warred without end, picking at the corpses of once proud states. We fight ourselves, even as enemies from beyond our shores continue to expand, taking villages, cities, and enslaving our people. The Negros of Africa have colonized Iberia. The fools which gave birth to Gassel fund the imperialism of Cologne. This cannot stand.

So, I have invited you here, and I am glad you have come. We will discuss, in the coming days, the creation of a Pact. I have my own ideas, but we must be an alliance of equals above all else. All will be permitted freedom to talk, without censure. All will be permitted freedom to debate.

Before we go into the substance of this meeting, I will answer any questions you have of me. I can think of one in particular that our Venetian friends seem dying to ask."

Trouillefou glanced at Ziccoti, who had been looking around the room with uneasiness since the start of his speech.

"Do not fret, friend. Ask."
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
A little shocked to have been singled out, Ziccoti decided he would have to work more on concealing his thoughts. He posed the question anyway.

"As some of us may have noticed, the Romans, among others, are not in attendance." A slight murmur spread through the parties who had not taken note, but it was only barely perceptible.

"My question is this: if this is a meeting of Europe, why are the Romans not here? I find it unlikely that they would not attend, and they should have received an invitation as they govern so much of southern Europe. In fact, their border is just a ways to the south, yet they were denied attendance? There can hardly be a meeting of Europe without the largest landholding state of Europe being present."
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Union
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Pyrenees Republic
"You are correct that they are the largest landholding state in Europe. I do not consider them to have acquired such land legitimately. It was a Roman king that destroyed the country of my birth, because of his refusal to due his duty to the people who had adopted him, but rather petty concerns over terrestrial power. The break-up of Hispania can be blamed directly on the refusal of Vlachos to give up his crown.

Because of this, we find Spain divided, where before it was united. We find a Roman state in Andalusia, and their Negro allies further north. While the Union does not claim nor desire, to recreate Hispania, but we will never be able to forget the evil of Rome.

Furthermore, they were allies of Gassel during the Dominion wars. They used this alliance to seize territory from the Catholic Europeans. We must remember that while the Roman Empire of old was European, the modern one is above all a Middle Eastern and North African rump state that has somehow managed to maneuver its way into power once again.

They are no more European, in my eyes, than the Assassins."
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

"Certainly, this does not automatically disqualify Constantinople from inclusion in an European trade community." Altofiore said, rising from his seat. "I understand the position taken by our wonderful host, however, international trade is nothing if not entirely beneficial for both parties involved. Perhaps, what I mean to state is that I cannot see how entirely shunning the Romans from European affairs is beneficial for future European prosperity."
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Union
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Pyrenees Republic
"If the Romans show a desire to join the Pact subsequently, we will of course bow to the opinion of the majority. This is an alliance of equals. However, I fear that a Roman presence in the creation of a Pact would result in undue influence, and ultimately either pervert the Pact into a Roman tool, or abort it entirely. We should build the Pact, us, here, and then, if the Romans wish to join, let them do so freely.

Surely this is an acceptable compromise?"
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Tristan da Cunha
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Ramesses de Saxe:

"Do not forget, Chairman Trouillefou, that Catholic Europe was a mulatto empire, and a Middle Eastern state. The stability of the Middle East is conducive to the interests of the European balance of power. Our approach to Constantinople should therefore be one of wariness and caution, but also compatibility. I will not entrust my country to the Greeks but I will not refuse to cooperate with them either, if our interests are in alignment.

"Minister Altofiore is correct; the Greek Empire, like Catholic Europe before it, is a keystone in the European balance of power, and while it is understandable that they have been excluded from this conference due to lingering antagonism between the partisans of Vlachos and the old Hispanians, it would not be wise to discount the Greeks' strategic position. However, I do agree, Chairman, that the farflung Ulganian extension into Spain poses a destabilizing force, as does the Kasnyian extension in the North Sea, and I am of the opinion both should be ended sooner rather than later.

"Regardless, speaking on behalf of Morbihan I deny that European nations necessarily share a fundamentally common strategic goal, beyond the necessities of peace and tranquility with justice. It is more often the case that European nations' interests are contradictory; for example the Huescan movement into the traditionally French section of Navarra and dissemination of republican propaganda there are deeply unsettling to the Court of Morbihan, and is in contravention to Morbihan's own interests."
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Union
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Pyrenees Republic
"I believe you over estimate our occupation. We have taken a small, 50 kilometer sliver of land, about to the Pau River. This is primarily due to strategic concerns. The failure of the French state, with whom we were military allies and shared military installations in the Pyrenees, leaves a portion of our military bases in ungoverned territory. Our defensive doctrine has always been based on that of a porcupine, and such a weakness completely undermines our ability to protect ourselves from the Romans and their Negro allies in Zaragoza.

Regardless, I do hope this Pact can provide a forum for the peaceful settling of intra-European disputes, allowing us to remain strong against foreign aggression. If less boys die to European bullets, we will be that much more able to protect our shores from the vultures that threaten it.

I will keep in mind the concerns about the Greek Empire, of course, but what is done is done. If they wish to join the Pact, we will bow to the opinion of the majority, and keep our personal concerns quiet in the interest of peace. However, one cannot expect to invite them midway through a conference. There is also an element to fear - the Romans traditionally mold such things into an image acceptable to them, and this Pact must, above all else, be acceptable to the European, not the Byzantine."


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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

"Thank you Honorable Chairman for your response.

My government sees this conference as a great opportunity to rebuild Europe and to enhance good relations. Porcu is very interested in knowing what will come to define this new Pact, for as a country with a deep tradition in finance and banking she is primarily concerned with a wide-ranging economic pact that will alleviate or rid completely trade tariffs in the Eurozone. It is my government's belief that greater trade and economic interdependence will only work to ensure peace in, and around, the Continent."
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
"During the Dominion Wars, the Romans were a conquered nation. As unlikely as it seems, the powerful giant is not invincible. If all our nations stand eye to eye in this pact, then the inclusion of the Romans cannot be seen as a threat to Europe. If all have an equal vote, then it matters not how powerful the Empire is, for even they cannot defeat us combined.

Your compromise is satisfactory, however. When these proceedings come to a conclusion, I shall go directly to Constantinople to discuss the pact with them. If they wish to join this pact, I will make it clear to them that they must accept everything that is discussed here, with no exceptions. Now, let us move on to other matters."
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Union
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Pyrenees Republic
"Very well. As I have said, we may all get a chance to speak, and I would prefer we each speak about our own visions for any pact, before we being to putting anything on paper. I will begin, being the one to have called this meeting in the first place, as logical.

Keep in mind that we do expect to compromise on some of these positions, as I read them. This is but our hopes here in the Union for such an alliance, and what we hope for is always marred by the constraints of reality.

The first is obvious. We would be a military alliance, though a loose one. We would all fight together to combat any efforts to colonize Europe by a foreign power, or a power backed by a foreign empire. The term foreign is being used here to refer outside of Europe, and in cases where this may be in dispute, such as Rome, I would support calling for a vote on the issue. However, if the Kasnyians, Assassins, or Ulganians were to come with guns, we would unite against them.

The second, perhaps more utopian - it would entail the creation of a forum for all European expansionist action. Right now, as the recent troubles on the British Isles have proven, expansion is chaotic, and war seems not only likely but inevitable in many cases. This pact would sidestep war by declaring illegal all expansions not approved by a simple majority of the membership. In such a case, members of the pact would, as they would against foreign colonial efforts, band together to protect the sovereignty of the European peoples being oppressed by their kin. If this is misunderstood, please tell me so.

The third is the creation of a common market in Europe, for Europe. I do not speak of a unified currency, but rather a reduction in tariffs in certain goods for all European states. I do acknowledge I have thought little of a potential economic aspect of the treaty, hoping to hear the ideas of the esteemed delegations before me.

So, there we have it. I will not drone on trying to persuade you of the three ideas, at this time. There will be time for such politics after we have more ideas to consider.

Any thoughts?"

Miguel motioned towards the podium, and prepared to sit down at the Huescan desk to the far left of the stage.
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NRE
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Map Tsar and Southern Gentleman

This was perhaps Prince Nikolay Orlov last diplomatic mission as Foreign Minster to the Russian Empire. He had served Tsar Paul well over his reign but he was an aging man himself and just as Paul handed the throne to the next generation, so too did Alexei plan to surround himself with the youthful elite of his generation. Thus it was only a question of time before he officially dissolved the government he had inherited from his father in favor of building one that more greatly suited his needs. That all being said, the Russian Empire was very perplexed when it came to its future relationship with the Spanish people. Having provided invaluable aid and safe haven during the Dominion wars Tsar Paul had held the Spanish in high regard. He believed that although they were republicans, they were civil republicans and could be trusted and seen as strong allies. Tsar Alexei however, was of a different mindset and grew concerned over the Spanish. Many in Russia were soon growing of the mindset that Alexei was purely anti-republican, a byproduct of his imprisonment within the false regency of Yusupov. This was a though Prince Orlov shared until today as he sat there as they seemed to do nothing but spew anti-roman rhetoric to the gather congregation. Bitting his tongue, remained of noble manner and civil composure.

Seeing the floored opened, he rose to the podium to speak.

"Though the Russian Empire would agree in theory with instilling within a pact the power to approve or deny nations the right to expand, we also cannot help but see how such a system could be perverted. Least of all the fact that we would be giving this pact an authoritarian power the likes of which the Dominion herself controlled in Asia and the Middle East, a powerful Empire we fought to free the world from, we would also be creating an elitist block within European politics. If this pact is to have such power, then this pact must contain all the nations of Europe without question, even those nations that exist which some may hold prejudice against. Especially if it is freedom, justice, and equally that we hope to protect for the European people. Otherwise, the best we could do would be to use this pack to overt war through peace keeping efforts and use its structure as a common forum for nations within or outside the pact, to discuss cases of annexation that are violently opposed so that some peaceful agreement can be reached."
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Union
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Pyrenees Republic
"I agree with you, sir. However, I do fear that many powers in this continent, some perhaps among us despite our efforts, may seek to abort such a treaty before it is born, angered at the thought of peaceful compromise of their own ambitions, when they realize that military might could circumvent such matters. Do you not agree that military superiority is often perceived as a justification for tyranny? Does this not go against the natural law of God himself?"
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Union
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Pyrenees Republic
OOC: Ironic that one of the nations that fought the Madrid Pact so vehemently has adopted Andorran colors, and speaks of grand republicanism.
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
OOC: Since TC is here as his French nation, I assume this is after the fall of France, correct?

I can't find it right now, but the LFN's idea of a loose military alliance is something that Venice would think of and want in this pact. The right to war against pact members, the right to deny aid to a pact member given a legitimate excuse, etc. I'll state that IC at some point, but not just yet. I don't want to draw attention to another topic so everyone else can have their say on the current one first.

IC: "Prince Orlov, though you make good points, how do you propose to include every nation of Europe? What of those that don't agree to the pact's terms, or those that are just plain unwilling to join? The inside politics of the pact should prevent it from being an 'elitist bloc'. If several power blocs are formed within the treaty, different groups that think alike, then they should be able to keep each other in check, provided each has an equal vote.

However, there is still the possibility that a member could work through diplomatic means to gather all to their side outside the realm of the pact's politics, in which case that member would have essentially usurped control of the pact and turned it into a pointless gesture. We must prevent this from happening, if this is what his majesty refers to."
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NRE
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Map Tsar and Southern Gentleman

Huesca
Jan 19 2010, 12:35 PM
"I agree with you, sir. However, I do fear that many powers in this continent, some perhaps among us despite our efforts, may seek to abort such a treaty before it is born, angered at the thought of peaceful compromise of their own ambitions, when they realize that military might could circumvent such matters. Do you not agree that military superiority is often perceived as a justification for tyranny? Does this not go against the natural law of God himself?"
"What I was suggesting" said the Prince " was that a coalition be made of all the pact members and that such a coalition be used solely to keep two belligerents from inciting war between them and causing death to countless innocents. However, I will concede to the fact that building a Coalition forces may pose just as much threat and give just as much Dominionques powers to this pact as would such as the authority to grant or deny expansions. I feel I must also clarify my suggestion to the Venetian delegation. When I suggested that every nations must be a member it was merely a statement that meant that I feel that if such a pact should have the authority to vote on whether or not a nation should be allowed to expand and if we wish to keep things fair and justice, then all nations of Europe should be members. Of course as far as the Russian Empire is concerned, if this pact is created with such voting authority and power and European nations decline a seat in the pact, then they freely forfeit their right to vote on and have a voice in expansion diplomacy."
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

"And what of greater economic cooperation and development? Surely, if Europe were better tied together by long-term trade agreements then that may remove the need for a complicated and risky council to oversee expansions? Porcu wishes to see peace just as much as everyone else, but centralizing power where it does not belong and when it is not needed only stands to further our goal of peace and prosperity."
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Tristan da Cunha
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Science and Industry
Ramesses de Saxe:


"Minister, I don't believe trade, or even economic prosperity, will overcome the need or desire of some governments to revise the political boundaries of Europe. I certainly speak on behalf of the court of Morbihan when I say that we are not at all satisfied with many of the political boundaries of the continent, which we hope can be resolved in the least contentious way possible, but which will not exclude the principle of the military solution. The goal of peace and prosperity must therefore be guided at all times by justice, and by the desire to realize that justice.

"I do not believe the 'parliament of nations' proposed today is aligned to the national interest of Morbihan, and especially do not believe that, in such a forum, a large and powerful nation ought to wield the same influence as a smaller and weaker nation. Instead, I believe the continent's powers should naturally seek to respect each others' spheres of influence both within the European continent and overseas, as that will minimize conflict and thereby serve the self-interest of individual European nations.

"Finally I must repeat here Morbihan's objection to Huesca's annexation of territory in the Pau river area, however modest, which Chairman Trouillefou has attributed to the 'failure of the French state'. Contrarily, the court of Morbihan, and, I'm certain, the provisional republican government in Paris, possess the means to assist Huesca in the security of the lower Pyrennes without the need for a direct Huescan political intervention."
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