La Gazzetta di Messelia

Soriano Equivocates on Parthenopean Crisis
Marta Pezzaloni

Foreign Councillor Soriano testified today before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee

Messelia. Foreign Councillor Lidia Soriano faced concerns about equivocation when she testified today before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding the evolving Parthenopean Crisis.

Senators questioned the Foreign Councillor for two hours regarding a variety of topics, including the collective response of the Artemian Union to the Arctic Crisis, but they seemed unsatisfied with the Soriano's reticence to confirm the Privy Council's stance on the dissolution of the Presicen and the Assembly of Cities by Parthenopean Emperor Alexander II. When asked, the Foreign Councillor indicated that "it is more important to monitor the situation as it evolves, rather than advance a position without all the proper information available".

While this seemed sufficient for senators from the Green Coalition, Senator Perla Landi, from the Merchant Rights Association, expressed concern over the lack of a definite position on the part of the D'Ambrosio Council, indicating that she found it "hard to believe that the Government would not know how to respond to a severe constitutional crisis in one of our closest allies". This sentiment was shared by Senator Gaspare Capello, from Avanti, who said that "the Government seems more interested in avoiding fights than in actually executing a responsible foreign policy". Various senators from opposition parties cited the massive protests in Parthenopias, and the statements from former Parthenopean Defence Minister Accaciol, who considers the crisis to be a coup, as compelling reasons for the Government to take a position.

The Foreign Councillor defended the Government's position by arguing that the Privy Council is acting responsibly by assessing all the available information, rather than acting rashly. She further indicated that First Councillor D'Ambrosio remained in constant communication with Emperor Alexander II and various opposition leaders, as part of the Government's effort to evaluate the crisis. Soriano expressed hope that a position would be taken "in due course".

Opposition Suggests Resolution

Following the Foreign Councillor's testimony, senators Mario Salucci and Gaspare Capello, senior members of their respective parties in the Foreign Affairs Committee, held a press conference to express their disappointment at what they called "a clear avoidance of leadership in the face of serious instability in an ally" and to call on the D'Ambrosio Council to take a definitive stance on the Parthenopean Crisis, stating their belief that the Artemian Union requires predictability and leadership from its members, and that Parthenopias would benefit from knowing the stance of its western neighbour.

Salucci and Capello indicated that the Foreign Affairs Committee would continue to discuss the matter, and suggested the possibility of a resolution expressing the Sense of the Senate on the Parthenopean Crisis, as a way of forcing the Government to take a position. They did not indicate what that Sense would be. However, both the Merchant Rights Association and Avanti would be likely to favour the Emperor, given their stances regarding fiscal responsibility and the role of the executive over the legislative branch.

Senator Elena Martina, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and senior member from the Social Progress Party, disagreed with the Opposition, saying that a Sense of the Senate resolution would encroach on the Government's ability to conduct an "independent and responsible foreign policy". While she acknowledged that she wanted the Government to state its policy sooner rather than later, she expressed confidence in the Foreign Councillor, and said that she preferred a government that took its time to assess a situation, rather than respond rashly to it. Martina indicated that, contrary to what the Opposition claimed, "Parthenopias needs an ally that waits until it has all the facts, rather than one who hurries to be the first to make headlines".

[07 January 2018]