[Sweden]: Call to Great Britain

[Connor]

Government of Sweden
Löfven Administration​

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A telephone call is made to the ritish Ambassador to Sweden, Jessica Kew, by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallström. This call was made from an office telephone direct to the Ambassador's personal phone following the exchange of telephone numbers in their last meeting. Telephone calls made to or from government telephones are encrypted as standard.

Jamie

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CONFIDENTIAL
Crown Copyright © Kingdom of Sweden
All information is subject to the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995​

 

[Jamie]

UK-Sweden
Security Classification: TOP SECRET

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Confined to her office, Jessica heard the vibrations from her personal mobile which drew her attention, picking up the phone to the name of Margot calling her. Taking a sip of her water, she answered the call. "Good Evening Margot" she greeted pleasantly, "How are you?" Jessica proceeded to ask. During that time, she would be sure to collect some paper and a pen to make notes if relevant. It wasn't often she was called by the Foreign Affairs Secretary, especially with the current on goings in the Middle East and Africa. It was sure to bring plenty of conversation.

Connor

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[Connor]

"Oh Jess, it's so good to hear from you again, I am very well thank you... how are you? I don't think we've had chance to speak since our night out in Stockholm!" Margot chuckles briefly, this phone call also taking place from the sanctuary of her private office she would sit back in her brown leather office chair and sip a mug of coffee perched on the edge of her desk.

"I really do wish this was more of a social call, Jess, but I think we have much to discuss given the world seems to be imploding with conflict... Russia, the Middle East and of course South Africa immediately comes to mind and I think we need to establish each others position on the matter given how closely we work. I am sure it is no surprise that we have been operating in South Africa for some time now and have had tremendous success, yet we're overshadowed by the emergency resolution brought to the Global Assembly which is bringing a shade of worry to Stockholm. I wonder where your governments opinions lie at present?"

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

There was a short pause, a slight chuckle escaping her mouth. Ensuring her line was private and encrypted, she continued. "It has been a while, I think we've both been slammed recently! Truth be told... I was expecting a call. Fortunately it's from you." she added. Allowing Margot to speak about business. "The entire situation is... complicated. The UK governments focus at the moment is the Mediterranean. The actions of Turkey haven't got unnoticed and our lack of response in the matter has raised eye brows especially when Prime Minister Evans is seeking a more global Britain. It's showing great risk to Cyprus and it's something the government is looking into further, it will see a small group of air assets deployed to our bases there as a precaution. There's a lot of tension but all we can do is hope it doesn't escalate. Russia, is something we've not really concerned ourselves with. Yet. Unfortunately, there's many scenarios going on right now and it's trying to understand each one." she laughed, taking a sip of her drink.

"We've always worked closely together, so I won't beat about the bush. We're in a difficult situation over a stance with South Africa, we've had others asking us about it and I know we've discarded it. Truth be told, we don't know enough so maybe you might be able to convince us otherwise. As you'll be aware, the UK is strongly in support of the right to self determination, it's the values it stand by, equally, the relationship between the UK and Sweden is as equally respected. What is the situation with South Africa? I find it difficult to judge as, all we've been told, is that Sweden has annexed it. No context and it kicked off at the same time as Turkey so was overshadowed from our perspective. What is the reason for Sweden's movements in South Africa if I may ask?"

Connor

 

[Connor]

"I really do have to be honest, I wish this call was to socialise but the world is crumbling into rat shit at the moment and I really thought we could do with understanding where each other stand to avoid any embarrassment or bad blood in an international forum. Complicated is an understatement Jess..."

She takes a moment to collect her thoughts, deciding it was best suited to start with South Africa.

"The whole situation with South Africa has been manipulated by the United States of America and South Korea who have founded their own opinions with extremely limited amounts of information to pursue reputation on the international stage. In truth, and between us, it looks as if the United States of America is frustrated that we undercut them - from the very beginning I have been barraged with correspondence from the Unites States desperate to deploy forces to South Africa and at every opportunity we have rejected their requests in the pursuit of a peaceful resolution... South Korea? I think they're just a pawn to take whatever shit flies out the Global Assembly so the US can do their usual bullet dodging"

A short breath ensues...

"Sorry Jess, I know you're close to the US and this is an extremely awkward situation to be apart of. In honesty this resolution is going to cause more harm than good. What the media don't know presently is that the South African people have welcomed Swedish forces into their country and to this day we have hoards of locals surrounding military bases and stopping patrol convoys to meet the troops. We have a temporary government in place which consists of only South African nations until we have the foundation to begin a democratic election. To this day, not a single shot has been fired in this conflict. I don't possibly know what else we can do to keep this peaceful.... yet the Global Assembly resolution appears desperate to send peacekeepers?"

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"It's definitely an awkward situation, we do have treaties with the US, and it's something we endeavour to start with Sweden. On the flip side, that does make it complicated. Unfortunately a lot of this is well above my pay grade in terms of the UK's response but it is certainly beneficial to hear it from your perspective. I'm aiming to gather as much information as possible to allow us to see the facts through fiction. With the conflict brewing in Russia, the threats made to Israel from other countries in the Middle East. The no fly zone enforced by the US in the Mediterranean. There is certainly a lot going on. At the moment we've kept neutral across the board but are deploying a small force to Cyprus as a precaution, which is for the safety of our oversea territories. This will be accompanied by U-2 Planes with a plan to carry out intelligence gathering services within the area. This could yet change. Might I ask if you've discussed the situation with South Korea, or America, directly? Especially if the US originally offered forces, I would be eager to see the transcript for that if that is possible or if it was ever taken.

It might be worth confirming that South Africa will be offered a democratic election, what options will there be? Is there intention to keep South Africa flying the Swedish flag?" she paused, getting carried away. "Sorry, not playing 20-questions. Just trying to understand and get as much information as I can so I have all the facts." she smiled. "It's good to be talking to you despite the circumstances."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Yes I'm starting to wish the whole situation was above my pay grade too...Since the establishment of the Gore Administration we have had a fractured relationship with the United States who appear to have began the adoption of bully tactics and a two-faced approach to international politics. They're on the hunt for international recognition. We refused to allow them to abuse South Africa for political gain on numerous occasions, then have somehow managed to flip the situation into something it certainly is not!"

Maggots takes a second to breathe before forwarding an encrypted email containing the correspondence.

"I have sent you an email, I have to stress that at this stage it's for yours and your Ministers eyes only as it directly risks Swedish national security. We are treating it with a 'TOP SECRET' classification at the moment. I think it speaks for itself.

It goes without saying that South Africa will be offered their right to diplomatically elect their own government and we are working with the incumbent national and regional legislature to ensure this happens as soon as possible. One thing is for certain Jess, South Africa is her own nation, with her own flag, her own people and her own government. Sweden is present to ensure that those attributes remain within the confines of the law."

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"Oh dear..." responded Jessica, having read the correspondence between the US and Sweden. It certainly raised questions as to Americas motive behind the Global Assembly resolution. "Thank you for sharing that, naturally, it will be kept in the strictest of confidence. Hopefully this whole situation flies over, I'm sure you can appreciate the position it puts the British Government in. We are hoping that, once this passes, the UK and Sweden can look to signing an agreement we have been working on. I can show you the draft as I would love your thoughts if possible?" Jess smiled, offering a draft copy.

Draft Agreement

 

[Connor]

"We do intend to present this in evidence to the Global Assembly as it certainly undermines the motives around the emergency resolution. Undoubtedly I would encourage you to restrict any public knowledge about our sharing of bilateral correspondence. Great Britain and Sweden have had a strong working relationship for some time and this is certainly we would like to pursue further. The draft resolution you have provided is certainly of great interest... I would be keen to see some security arrangements made within this agreement - by that I mean assurances that the intelligence shared between parties, particularly that obtained through the Swedish Strategic Defence Network, is retained at the highest possible security classification and must not be shared outside our arrangements without unanimous agreement"

Jamie