The Treaty of Jabru

The Treaty of Jabru is the peace treaty signed by Kinilan and Chelestra that ended the Great War, a war that lasted for decades and brought both countries to the breaking point.  If it had not been signed, it is very likely that both countries would have dissolved into anarchy - no matter which side won, they would be far too weak to actually occupy the other country and maintain order in both.

Purpose

The Treaty of Jabru is intended to not only end the war, but remove the motivation for future wars between the kingdoms of Chelestra and Kinilan.  It addresses the economic imbalance that ownership of the Iron Hills and its many mines imposes, and guarantees a degree of legal privilege for Chelestran citizens visiting the region while recognizing and maintaining Kinilan's sovereignty.

Document Structure

Clauses

The Treaty of Jabru has three sections containing agreements that are intended to end the need for war between Kinilan and Chelestra over the resources of the Iron Hills.

Section 1: Terms of Peace

Borders would remain where they were before the war, with certain trade concessions. Neither side would demand or pay war reparations. Prisoners of War were to be given escort through the Iron Hills and released to the authority of a post in each country that would be set up to receive them. Any soldiers cut off from command and still fighting are to be given notification of the end of the war and granted passage to return home. A Peace Proclamation would be issued in areas of both countries that had seen fighting - primarily the Iron Hills region of Kinilan, in an effort to spread this information as quickly as possible.

Section 2: Trade concessions

Kinilan would be permitted 20 years to restore the Iron Hills to a productive trade centre without interference from Chelestra, during which time there would be no trade concessions imposed on them. After this point, Kinilan is not permitted to tax any shipments of iron or copper mined in the Iron Hills into Chelestra, and Chelestran business interests are permitted to develop new mines in the region or purchase an interest in existing mines. Any products mined in a Chelestran-owned mine are to be free of tax. The intent of this article is to establish a degree of neutrality in the Iron Hills - with both countries able to benefit from its abundance of mined resources, it is less likely that Chelestra will go to war over the resources there.

Section 3: Legal Protections of Chelestran Citizens in the Iron Hills

They are required to register their entry to the country at the border, and are subject to Kinilani law. However, if they are accused of a crime that is punished by death, maiming, hard labour over 1 year, imprisonment over 5 years, the trial for this crime is to be held near the border and observed by both Kinilani and Chelestran officials, and the sentence is to be carried out in Chelestra. If they head further east beyond the Iron Hills, they lose this right and will be subjected to Kinilani law in the same way that any non-citizen would be. It also contains a process by which Chelestran officials observing the trial can intervene if they feel the trial is unjust, and the means of resolving such disputes without escalating from legal proceedings into a threat of war.

Historical Details

Legacy

The Treaty of Jabru is not what either of its signatories wanted out of it, but as both countries wanted full control over the Iron Hills, pleasing both was an impossibility.  It is an agreement full of compromises that both sides hope will last at least a few generations, however, as neither side is in a state to fight another war.  The trade concessions demanded will almost inevitably lead to another diplomatic crisis, either when Kinilan decides they are strong enough to break the treaty and restore their full control over the resources produced in the region, or when Chelestra tries to stretch beyond the limits of what is permitted.  But for now, there is peace.

Type

Treaty, Diplomatic