POP QUIZ TIME! What long-winded and melodramatic politician said the following to justify his "negotiating" position? "For months we have been suffering under the torture of a problem which ... has deteriorated until it becomes intolerable for us. ... "As always, I attempted to bring about, by the peaceful method of making proposals for revision, an alteration of this intolerable position. It is a lie when the outside world says that we only tried to carry through our revisions by pressure. ...there was the opportunity of carrying out these revisions by peaceful settlements and understanding. On my own initiative I have, not once but several times, made proposals for the revision of intolerable conditions. All these proposals, as you know, have been rejected - You know the endless attempts I made for a peaceful clarification and understanding of the problem .... It was all in vain. "It is impossible to demand that an impossible position should be cleared up by peaceful revision and at the same time constantly reject peaceful revision. It is also impossible to say that he who undertakes to carry out these revisions for himself transgresses a law, since ...is not law to us. A signature was forced out of us .... And then this document, with our signature, obtained by force, was proclaimed as a solemn law. "In the same way, I have also tried to solve the problem ...by proposing a peaceful discussion. That the problems had to be solved was clear. It is quite understandable to us that the time when the problem was to be solved had little interest .... But that time is not a matter of indifference to us. Moreover, it was not and could not be a matter of indifference to those who suffer most. "...No one could say that this was in any way an inadmissible procedure on undue pressure. I then naturally formulated at last the ...proposals, and I must once more repeat that there is nothing more modest or loyal than these proposals. I should like to say this to the world. I alone was in the position to make such proposal, for I know very well that in doing so I brought myself into opposition to millions .... These proposals have been refused. ... "...was not prepared to settle the ...question in a reasonable way which would be equitable to both parties, and ...he did not think of keeping ... obligations to minorities. "I must here state something definitely; ...No ...man can stand up and say that any ... living ... is oppressed, tortured, or deprived of his rights. Nobody can say this. For four months I have calmly watched developments, although I never ceased to give warnings. In the last few days I have increased these warnings. I informed the P... three weeks ago that if P...continued to send ... notes in the form of ultimata, and if on the P... side an end was not put to ...measures destined to ruin ... trade, then ...could not remain inactive. I left no doubt that people who wanted to compare the G... of to-day with the former G... would be deceiving themselves. ... "I made one more final effort to accept a proposal for mediation on the part of the ...ent. They proposed, not that they themselves should carry on the negotiations, but rather that P... should come into direct contact and once more pursue negotiations. "I must declare that I accepted this proposal, and I worked out a basis for these negotiations which are known to you. For two whole days I sat in my ...and waited to see whether it was convenient for the P...to send a p... or not. Last night they did not send us a p... from the political stage. But I am wrongly judged if my love... and my patience are mistaken for weakness or even cowardice. I, therefore, decided last night and informed the ... that in these circumstances I can no longer find any willingness on the part of the P...ent to conduct serious negotiations with us..."
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 05:50:16 +0000