[Australia]: Message to Sweden

[Owen]

​

PRIME MINISTER​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET (Encrypted)​

24 September 1996 Stefan Lofven Prime Minister of Sweden 24 Stromgatan Stockholm, Stockholm County SWEDEN 111 51​

Dear Mr. Lofven, That telephone call was a bit intense, I may add. Whilst we did get off to a rocky start, I'm sure we can come to a compromise or agreement on this international situation and the status of Antarctica. Please if you will, send your Ambassador over to Parliament House to discuss this matter. I'm confident we can come to a sensible outcome on this matter. Yours Sincerely, Paul Keating, MP.

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

@Connor

 

[Connor]

A secure notification is forwarded to Prime Minister Paul Keating informing him the details had been passed to the Ambassador for Sweden to Australia, Pär Ahlberger.

As the Australian Prime Minister asked so kindly, Ambassador Pär Ahlberger, obviously by now aware of the ongoing situation within Antarctica and the tension within Australian government in order to resolve the situation, would very quickly hail a private taxi service to drive him to the Office of the Prime Minister, Parliament House. With him he would carry a black leather conference folder with the Coat of Arms of Sweden emblazoned on the front tucked neatly into the underarm of his navy-blue suit jacket. Upon arrival he would swiftly make his way inside, expecting to see the Prime Minister or at least be directed to the correct location.

Owen

 

[Owen]

Parliamentary Security would direct Mr. Ahlberger, taking him via the most accessible route due to his wheelchair status. Upon arriving at the Prime Minister's office, the Prime Minister would bend down and shake Mr. Ahlberger's hand as he would be sitting in his wheelchair.

"Mr. Ahlberger, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Parliamentary Security would make sure the area outside the PM's office was secure. No journalists or unauthorised personnel would be allowed in.

"Mr. Ahlberger, please take a se- I ummm I mean please, make yourself comfortable... Can I get you anything to drink? Tea? Coffee? Water?"

Connor

 

[Connor]

Ambassador Ahlberger, once in the presence of the Prime Minister would sit back in the wheelchair, as a fairly old-school style politician he would look around the room and chuckle audibly before extending his hand to greet "Mr Prime Minister, it is a pleasure to see you, I understand you've have some hot debate with the Swedish Government; I hope our local friendship will outweigh the international political arena?" his eyes very quickly begin to dart around, noticing that whilst the Prime Minister's office was beautifully decorated, he was left flustered as to where he would park his wheelchair for the duration of the talks in order to ensure he had adequate access to some form of desk yet within the line of sight of the Prime Minister.

"I'll have a iced vanilla latte, three pumps of caramel, with dairy substitute, poured, and not shaken. Thank you."

Owen

 

[Owen]

"Coming right up "

A chair would be pulled out from the table where they would sit and discuss so he could park his wheelchair in the space.

"Now Mr. Ahlberger, as you can see we're in a tricky situation. I wish for us to resolve the immediate short-term issues and then progress onto the most long-term issues. You and me both don't want this escalating any further then it needs to be. As for short-term, currently the Swedish have our scientists in custody and the equipment. It is our border protection policy that we detain illegal arrivals and then proceed to deport them back to their home country. That is the case in almost all countries around the world and indeed, I believe in Sweden. We wish to see these scientists deported back to Australia and the RSV Aurora Australis to be towed back to any Australian port. We require the ship and its equipment onboard in order for us to conduct our missions to Australian sub-antarctic islands such as Macquarie Island and Heard and McDonald Islands. It's crucial we get that back. As for the scientists, they are valuable assets. Many are university professors and such a loss of 116 of them would be a massive brain drain on our scientific community. I don't think its fair to detain and trial them in Sweden for something they had no choice over. All decisions regarding Antarctica came from my Minister and ultimately, me. Don't punish these people, they are very much innocent and they have families in Australia who want nothing more for them to come home. I know Sweden has the ability to do the right thing here and I believe it will be in your favour in the long-term."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Mr Prime Minister our position on this matter is very clear, this has come from central government and they're not going to shift; Antarctica is a territory of the Kingdom of Sweden, the scientists violated our border whilst undocumented thus compromising our national security and illegally entering. At this stage there is no extradition agreement between our nations thus we will work to ensure the articles of the Declaration of Human Rights is honoured and ensure these scientists receive a fair trial for the crimes they are suspected of having commit, I must stress that whilst they have been arrested the Swedish Royal Navy does not have the power to assume guilt, that will be left to the courts. Now I was expecting you to mention RSV Aurora Australis and that's going to be difficult to discuss... at this state it's under the command of the Swedish Royal Navy, we will endeavour to ensure it's safe return should it be deemed appropriate."

The Ambassador takes a moment to glance around, his throat beginning the feel dry, did the Australians intend to let a frail disabled man dehydrate?... No, stop being dramatic. He continues...

"Nobody forced those scientists to go anywhere, unless you tell me otherwise they had the power to stop and question your government of giving them instruction to illegally enter a foreign state. My understanding is that you've ranged from a position of making threats towards the Swedish government to now taking what appears to be a back burner where you're going to try and guilt trip me into doing as you ask. I am powerless here. They have broken the law and I'm unable to change that fact."

Owen

 

[Owen]

"There doesn't need to be an extradition agreement, countries deport foreign nationals back to their home countries all the time. I think it is a tad ridiculous to label them as a national security threat though. They weren't even armed.

Now I'll be honest with you, no body in this government or the Antarctic Division were under the belief that Sweden exercised control over Antarctica. They didn't know it, they didn't believe they were heading into Swedish-controlled territory. Now we know you made a claim to such territory, but a claim is just a claim, it has no standing if there is no control over the area. We also have a claim to the area. Therefore we have overlapping claims and therefore they and my government were under the belief they were heading into Australian territory. At no point was this government alerted to the fact the area was under Swedish CONTROL and that you were exercising the control to the exclusion of all others which is an entirely different kettle of fish.

We're not asking you to say they didn't break the law or whatever, I don't care about that. All we are asking if that they get deported back to Australia which is what CONSISTENTLY happens when a foreign national illegal enters a territory. I have never heard of such a case going to trial. It's what we do and it's what I expect the Swedish to do. They do this because otherwise those 116 people you have arrested are going to be nothing more than a burden on the Swedish taxpayer."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Maybe not for Australia but I am sure you can respect the difference in our nations, our laws and our priorities. My understanding of the situation is that they were given clear and adequate instruction to leave the region and both they and your government outright refused. There is really no wiggle room here Mr Prime Minister, we are bound by the Charter of the Global Assembly to ensure their rights as individuals are met and they are given fair process and trial for the crimes they are suspected of having commit."

Owen

 

[Owen]

"Nobody refused, rather I think there was a lot of confusion. There was confusion over whether or not Sweden had legitimate authority to exercise control over the region. I think the way in which Sweden approached this was to catch us completely off guard. Instead of just having ships appear and basically intimidate all the people that were there, you should have sent us clear warning of what was about to happen. You expected us to make a decision then and there on what to do. I didn't make the decision to leave right on your command because we thought your command was illegitimate. There was no time to process what was going on or be in discussion with your government. I'm sure you can understand, the whole situaiton of Sweden exercising control over the region and the sudden announcement to leave or be arrested when they were already surrounded by ships made decision making hazy at best. I'm of the opinion now that we will withdraw our personnel from Antarctica until such time as a long-term agreement is reached because it's clear Sweden is serious on their claims and on enforcing them.

No clause in the Charter of the Global Assembly will you be violating my merely deporting these individuals. As I said, deport them back to Australia along with the equipment and we can put this immediate matter to rest and move onto more long-term solutions. It will show compassion on the side of Sweden and help you in the long-run with your position. I'm compelled to completely drop our claims in the Antarctic if you return to us our individuals and equipment as I have much bigger fish to fry in Iraq right now and I can't be pre-occupied with this matter.

It is also my understanding that Swedish law stipulates illegal entrants shall be deported back to their home country. So bringing them to trial would be... odd and I still don't understand why the Swedish Government has chosen that path over the more common deportation one."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Unfortunately Mr Prime Minister, although I'm sure the Department of Justice would rather I did not comment specifically on their judicial process, these men and women commit an indictable criminal offence and there is little confidence held by the government that Australia will provide fair trial. You have made your view abundantly clear that you do not support or recognise the territorial borders of Swedish overseas territory, Antarctica, and as a result there is zero confidence that these persons will be trialled with the view that they had potentially violated Swedish law... simply because you do not recognise it as occupied by Sweden. Do you see the issue here? Our options ran out when you threatened my government, forced our hand and resulted in the arrest of Australian nations following their refusal to acknowledge instruction by Swedish military.

On the subject of deportation, you are wrong, we deport refused asylum seekers. These scientists that we have detained have broken a law and are seen by law enforcement as criminals subject to judicial process for a ruling to be made on their removal from the nation, incarceration or other justified penalty.

The reiterating theme of speaking to you Mr Prime Minister is that you seem to run your government with blinkers on. Australian away or no way. Sweden, the Nordic Council, and every nation on the globe have their own way of dealing with a variety of matters and in many cases this may not mirror the Australian way of doing things... but one thing is abundantly clear... if the tables were turned and Sweden had send 116 undocumented persons to enter Australia without permission and began building a runway and research centre without permit - they would have been arrested and there would be zero tolerance from your government. We both know it."

Owen

 

[Owen]

"We're not going to trial them, Mr. Ahlberger. We do not see them as committing a crime because we don't recognise Sweden's legitimacy to enforce their law over Antarctica. But there are things here that are greater then simply making sure a judicial process is met, there is now great tension between our two nations and I'm trying to work with you to resolve this. Now I know you do not personally have much power, but I'm asking you as the REPRESENTATIVE of your government to pass on our concerns to your government and to ask the Prime Minister to use his powers to recommend to the King that these 116 individuals get a Royal pardon. Personally, my understanding of Swedish law is that this is not required as illegal aliens are simply dealt with at the helm of your Immigration Department, same as they are here, same as they are in the UK or the USA or most other countries in the world.

I do not see what law they have broken besides being illegal entrants? Which is the exact same as Asylum Seekers. If the tables were turned and 116 UNARMED illegal entrants into Australia we would arrest them yes but then we would proceed to put them into Immigration Detention Centres and arrange to have them deported as we do any other illegal entrant. We're not going to spend taxpayers money on trialling 116 non-violent non-citizens who pose no threat to the Australian community which is the point I'm trying to get at with our guys who have been arrested, its farcical that they be trialled. Now I don't think it would get to the stage of them building a research station and a runway because simply put, we have strong border protection measures. If Antarctica was such a Swedish territory as you say it is then these guys should've been stopped well before they got to that point. This isn't the Australian way, it's accepted as pretty much THE way in most of the world.

I really want you to try and understand our position, Mr. Ahlberger. There was much CONFUSION and there still is. You want to punish 116 innocent people for a crime they had no intention of committing. If you were in the similar situation and a flotilla of Royal Australian Navy vessels rocked up in an area which you had no idea was under Australian control and basically threatened you to leave, would you do it? I think if Sweden approached the issue differently and was transparent to us about the situation instead of attempting that GOTCHA moment, we wouldn't be in this mess. Now that the dust has settled and we've got a clear understanding about Sweden's.... interests, in Antarctica, I want to see these 116 individuals returned to their families who already have to deal with the stress of having them leave to Antarctica. This is people's lives we're talking about Mr. Ahlberger, 116 to be exact. They have done nothing heinous, they have threatened no one and this whole... farce just seems like an attempt by the Swedish Government to chest beat at the whim of 116 people's livelihoods. I'm offering you a diplomatic solution to this. We can resolve this issue TOMORROW but it is completely at the hands of your government. If you don't deport these 116 individuals, then what am I supposed to work with here? They are our priority and nothing else. Your priority is protecting your interests in Antarctica and I'm offering you this solution of you returning these individuals and then we will promise not to violate Swedish territory again. Come on Mr. Ahlberger, do the right thing here."

 

[Connor]

"Mr Prime Minister, this situation is not as simple as it usually would be. Extradition in normal circumstances would more than settle our confidence that the risk of border penetration is averted and there is confidence that, for example, Australian authorities would have the means and capabilities of managing those individuals to prevent further offences occuring. In this situation, as you have said, you do not recognise Antarctica as Swedish sovereign territory and as such my government is not confident that these scientists will simply just reattempt entry through out borders. It is resource intensive and costly to keep chasing curious scientists used as battering rams for your government - whilst I have tried to be polite and retain our local friendship with politics aside, you and I both know that is exactly what's happening. It is a smart move, using civilians to force your way into territory.

They have illegally entered an overseas territory of Sweden. We are not confident that their extradition to Australia will negate further offences and given their location we have no choice but to ensure their human rights are met by relocating them, as we have a duty of care we must also respect their rights, one of which is to a fair trial. Their time in custody included.

I don't agree with you in the slightest - if I were a civilian research vessel and I were approached a foreign navy and told to leave their territorial waters, whether I was aware of it or not, I would not risk the lives of my crew and retreat to seek advice from my own relevant authority. Your crew neglected to do that, they forced they way through and began construction in Swedish territory without permit, without documentation and without permission. Our actions have been civil given the countless violations of international law.

I respect you Mr Prime Minister but your government has made it abundantly clear that you intend to regain control of your claim in Antarctica, and we're unable to agree on what that would look like. Ideally I would like to see Swedish and Australian cooperation in the region in-which you would have free-reign in the former Australian Antarctic Territory to conduct your scientific studies but in a leasehold arrangement which, if we were able to thrash that kind of arrangement out, may even result in a payment-less settlement. But part of that MUST be your willingness to recognise Swedish law in the region, to recognise Swedish sovereign territory and to stop your needless barrage of political libel in an attempt to reinforce your provenance in the international community. A number of other nations have expressed their interest in the region and have done so reasonably, you have attempted brute force and it has not been successful. We want international scientific study in Antarctica, especially from experiences and eager Australian scientists, but in the right way and a way that can be governed.

How can I trust you are a man of your word when you have gone against that word on several occasions already?

I want this resolved. I want those families reunited with their loved ones but I also see the view of my government where you have threatened, ignored and fought their instructions, statements and claims time and time again. Mr Prime Minister, give me something to work with, something that gives me government the confidence that we can avoid further conflict. This will be expensive if we have to continue this unnecessary fight but we will ensure the protection of Antarctica."

Owen

 

[Owen]

"As I have already told you Mr. Ahlberger, we were not AWARE that you were ENFORCING your law and sovereignty over Antarctica. We have a claim, but we are not enforcing it. You secretly sent naval vessels to Antarctica without our knowledge and we were VERY public about our research team going down there and anywhere between them departing Hobart and heading to Antarctica you could've warned us about what lied ahead and that there was going to be consequences but you only did that out of surprise when they arrived and already completed half the research station. Had we had clear warnings before arriving, I would've been reluctant to go. Unlike you and let's say... Argentina, we're putting our egos aside for the greater good and we believe the greater good is the peacefulness of the Antarctic continent, free from conflict. Even if we did not recognise your claim, at least over portions of East Antarctica and had our own claim over that area instead, we're not willing to risk conflict to enforce it or make a point that we don't recognise yours. Obviously, we must recognise reality and the reality is you have a military presence in Antarctica which we 100% are against, but we cannot ignore that reality and as such it is not the position of my government to try and ignore that. First and foremost, we want peace in Antarctica, our presence in the continent comes second. Now that we are aware of your military presence, which I must reiterate, we were not the first time, I can ensure you my government will not try and test it.

Now I can ensure you, they will not be attempting to go to Antarctica again as individuals because the first time they were acting under directives from my government and they will continue to do so, if they did something that went against the directives of this government then well as public service employees they would be fired. Their only way to get to Antarctica is equipment owned by this government so if they attempted to steal it to try and go there, then they would be breaking OUR law. So I can ensure you, that as individuals these 116 people will not attempt that again because they will only do it under the orders of my minister.

I'm not entirely sure where my government has made it abundantly clear that we intend to regain control of our claim in Antarctica? There has been absolutely no indication of that and I've already told you, its our first and foremost policy to avoid conflict in Antarctica so I'm not sure how you can make such a ridiculous claim.

What I am offering you is the status quo ante bellum, basically the way that things were before. We continue not to have or strive for a presence in Antarctica, illegally or otherwise and you return the scientists. It's about as simple as that. I'm not going to try and get a leasehold from you, we will just continue our research in our own subantarctic islands, the ones which are sovereign territory of Australia and have been for decades, which is why I need my scientists and my equipment back. I might even throw a public condemnation of Argentina's actions in there for you, because frankly we don't quite agree with them because just like you, they are using the military to enforce it. It would be hypocritical of us to condemn you but not condemn them. They aren't really living up to the ideals we have proposed in our GA resolution either. I don't want to see a single armed man, woman or child in Antarctica. That is our goal."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Absolute rubbish Mr Prime Minister, Sweden has had claim of Antarctica since early 1995 and we're rapidly approaching the second year of governance. Over this two year period not only have we publicly announced this claim, we have made agreement with Norway to recognise Queen Maud Land as Norwegian, we have dispatched a flotilla of vessels that passed some of the largest economically developed countries in the world all without anyone batting an eyelid. I am getting frustrated with you Prime Minister, if you cannot be honest with me then there is absolutely no foundation for any form of diplomatic settlement and your scientists will go to Sweden and they will be tried in Swedish courts for the Swedish laws they have broken.

My government does not want war in Antarctica, far from it, we want international cooperation and research in the region but without governance this will lead to the continent being whittled down and destroyed by ignorance, greed and selfishness. This has been good enough for countless nations that've contacted us and been able to arrange some form of civil agreement as to their permitted use of Antarctica. Our plan has always remained the same, we have remained diplomatic, we have not been hostile and we have acted in the least intrusive way possible to ensure the national security of our overseas territory.

Individuals this. Individuals that. I'm sure they won't attend as individuals, but that doesn't stop you sending more scientists or sending other 'non-military' personnel to the region. I have been in this political game for a long time Prime Minister, I know the key words, I know the buzz words and I know when a senior political figure is trying to manipulate me. I am losing my patience.

These are the facts; you aren't 'offering' me anything. Antarctica is sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Sweden which we have legally obtained in line with the recognised charters within the Global Assembly which you too have signed to recognise. You will publicly condemn Argentina for their violent violation of Swedish national borders, whether your recognise them or not, and you will refrain from any further attempts to illegally enter Antarctica with any form of military of civilian formation and you will be open to discussion with the Department of Antarctic Affairs in order to start some form of conversation as to the future of Swedish-Australian cooperation in the region to allow your scientists to conduct their research in a peaceful manner. What I will not do as an Ambassador for Sweden, is sit here and allow you to dictate what I can and cannot do. We are legally in the position we are in and throughout the conflict with both yourself and Argentina we have been transparent with our interests, clear with our intentions and open to peaceful settlement. That has not been the case for our opposition."

Owen

 

[Owen]

"Again, you're confusing us understanding you had a claim and understand you were enforcing the claim. We knew you had a claim, we frankly... didn't care, if you weren't going to be enforcing it. What we didn't know is you were going to be enforcing that claim. Now if those flotilla of vessels did pass through several nations, none of those nations made it aware to us. It wasn't publicised in the media. So I don't know what you expect us to know. How would we even know they were going to Antarctica? Seems a bit unfair to say we should've known about those vessels.

Again, I have been honest with you. You can lose your patience as much as you like but I believe I've made a pretty strong case as to why we WOULDN'T be going back to Antarctica based on the current situation. As I said, peace is first and foremost in my mind, not some scientific research. Scientific research is only for the greater good and understanding of the continent. Peace is for our national security. I'm more concerned about our national security then some greater good scientific research in Antarctica. So I will not be sending anymore scientists, because I know if I did that would royally piss you off and threaten our national security. I'm not prepared to threaten our national security like that, what type of Prime Minister do you think I am?

Well I hope those demands aren't just demands without anything in it for us. I will do all those things if you give me back the 116 scientists and the RSV Aurora Australis with all its equipment still onboard. All of it minus the Swedish-Australian cooperation... I don't think that's something I need to be compelled to do, we just won't have a presence in Antarctica at all as I have made clear to you. We're not interested.

I'm not dictating anything, you don't have to do any of this, I don't have to do any of this. I'm trying to get a deal here. I've made our demands pretty clear and I'm not asking for much."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Ah, well you have backtracked from your initial statement, you are now telling me that you were not only aware of our public claim in the region but when you were instructed to leave said claim you wilfully ignored that instruction. There is no publicly available information suggesting that Russia is enforcing their territorial waters, but if I were to enter and be instructed to leave by a Russian warship, then I would make the assumption myself and leave. Immediately. Mr Prime Minister whilst I know you are an experienced political and obviously have great passion for not only your nation but also the safety of your population - you are foolish to think you can run rings around me. Throughout this conflict we have received empty threats, endless challenges, wilful violation of international law and an endless list of contradictions.

Your resistance to cooperate with central government to come to an agreement to allow for the study of Antarctica tell me one thing - your objective in the region had nothing to do with ensuring it remained protected for research but much rather you were for-filling your own greed and jealously, resisting the possibility of Sweden being such a close neighbour... and in the process you have obliterated our once flourishing relationship. I am disappointed and offended to say the least.

Mr Prime Minister, your 'deal' is not only littered with loopholes but also of no reassurance to me. You seem to be under some bizarre illusion that you can just 'claim' another states territory and thus have the right to do whatever you wish with it, whenever you wish and make use of the Global Assembly to bully the 'my way or the highway' mantra. Let me assure you, the Global Assembly has no power to remove a nations sovereignty over territory, and we have recorded not only your actions but the actions of Argentina from start to finish.

You can threaten Sweden. You can lie to Sweden. You can attempt to manipulate Sweden... but one thing is clear. We have a zero tolerance for all of it.

If you want your scientists released without trial for the crimes they have commit, it will require signatures from much higher up the food chain than me - make me an offer I cannot refuse and I will do everything in my power to ensure the return of not only all your scientists but also the RSV Aurora Australis, your helicopters and the equipment within them."

Owen

 

[Owen]

"As I said, decision making was hazy. You came out of no where and basically threatened us. We couldn't even verify if they were actually Swedish vessels, they could've been any nation pretending to be Swedish. Thats what I'm saying, the actions which you took to get us in a "gotcha" moment was a bit unacceptable when you absolutely knew about our research vessel, it was publicly broadcasted, my Minister even made a speech in Hobart before they left. Then your ships secretly headed to the place we were at and surrounded us. You could've told us when the RSV Aurora Australis was departing Hobart that you had armed vessels in Antarctica and were willing to use them. At that point, I probably would've ordered them to turn back. We could've avoided this whole situation. As I said, you gave us absolutely no time to make a decision. Your government didn't even reach out to mine, you wanted it all to happen on the ground then and there. It makes me believe you wanted to capture those scientists.

Well anyway. I'm sick of talking about what happened - what happened, happened. You can't change it. I'm more interested in what to do moving forward. My deal is there, Mr. Ahlberger. Your government can choose to trust me or not to trust me, that's entirely up to you. I'm not sure how much more I can convince you I am to be trusted but I believe I've made some pretty compelling points on why we would live up to our end of the bargain. I'm not sure what offer I can make that you cannot refuse, I've already made my offer pretty clear. If there's something else you would like to add to it, let me know."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Oh get real Paul. You are stringing a web of absolute bullshit now and you know it. The longer this conversation gets the more and more absurd and ridiculous your statements get, if you had any doubt about the Swedish-flag bearing vessels then you would've raised it much higher up the food chain which you did not, you would've mentioned it sooner which you did not and you almost certainly would've asked for credentials upon boarding which you did not. If you cannot discuss this matter like a politican then we will end this here, I am willing to work with you but the longer you churn the mud, the murkier the water is getting.

This is the plan. I will feed back to the Swedish government that we will await your public condemnation of the Argentine invasion of Swedish territorial waters and support the peaceful resolution of conflict in the region, in addition to your commitment to refrain from Australian presence in Antarctica in any form whether that be material, human or otherwise. In return we are willing to open discussions, in person, between the Department of Antarctic Affairs in Sweden and the respective Australian department in order to negotiate the possibility of Australian Antarctic Territory appearing in some shape of form where you may experience peaceful enjoyment of the region alongside the release of your scientists, without trial, and return of your Antarctic research equipment.

The ball is in your court."

Owen

 

[Owen]

The Prime Minister would just ignore the first bit, sick of dwelling on what happened and more interested in how to resolve it.

"Well yes, that was the deal we also proposed and mentioned several times..." He would pause.

"Possibility of Australian Antarctic Territory appearing in some shape or form? As in full sovereignty being granted to us? Not just leasehold?

Anyway, whatever that may be, we accept the deal because my priority is the scientists and the equipment. Anything else comes second and comes later."

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Excellent, well Mr Prime Minister I will leave it in the capable hands of your legal department to draft that arrangement in a legally binding document and I suspect it will be easiest to fax it to the Embassy where I can forward it onto the relevant government department. Is there anything further you'd like to discuss?"

Owen