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General Treaty on Trade Rights and Rights in Neutral Space


In order to further galactic peace, better our understandings and expectations of one another as sovereign powers, ensure the orderly conduct of business and establish formal procedures to that end the various parties enter into the following agreement.


Article 1- Definitions

Neutral Space- is defined as all space outside of the known and internationally accepted borders as delineated in the latest international edition of the regional star charts provided to all powers by the International Mapping Agency.

Territorial Space- is defined as all space inside of the known and internationally accepted borders as delineated in the latest international edition of the regional star charts provided to all powers by the International Mapping Agency subject to the approval of a super-majority (2/3rds) of the signers of this treaty.

Disputed Space- is defined as space newly acquired or publicly disputed between two or more powers that has not been duly accredited as Territorial Space by a super-majority of the signers of this document OR by the establishment of ownership by fact and condition for the power claiming it.

Civilian Flagged Ship- a ship properly identified by visual insignia and the transmission of a proper ID code upon query to be a member of a nation but not a member of that nations military.

Military Flagged Ship- a ship properly identified by visual insignia and the transmission of a proper ID code upon query to be a member of a nations military.

Article 2- Agreements

The signing powers do herby agree to the following provisions.

Provision 1- When traveling in neutral space properly flagged ships, of both the civilian and military variety shall not be subject to attack, search, seizure, undue retention or any other such hostile action without prior notice being registered with this body in the form of a Declaration of Legal Blockade or a Letter of Marque giving due notice of the intended action.

Provision 2- When traveling in territorial space in accordance with arranged transit routes Civilian Flagged ships will be granted the same protection as they are granted in Provision 1 of Article 2.

Provision 3- No Blockade shall be considered legal and binding on neutral parties unless that blockade is effective and enforced by the power declaring it and unless such blockade has been openly declared to the signatories of this treaty.

Provision 4- Letters of Marque may be issued against the trading vessels of a specific nation by any sovereign power to grant legal and sovereign authority to impound Civilian Flagged Ships in neutral space of a specific power who must be named in the letter. The letter must be openly declared to the signatories of this treaty.

Provision 5- So long as Civilian Flagged Ships are unarmed they are not to be subject to attack so long as they submit to a lawful boarding supported by a Letter of Marque or a Declaration of Legal Blockade.

Provision 6- If Civilian or Military Flagged ships unknowingly transit into disputed space they may be escorted out of that space by either claiming party. Once that region's status as disputed space has been acknowledge by a majority of the signatories of this treaty ships flagged to powers not involved in the dispute are to avoid the area and enter it only at their own peril.

Provision 7- No powers territorial space borders may be altered from the most recently accepted version of the star chart of the International Mapping Agency (which the founding members approve by their signature to this document) without the express consent of the sovereign government which is having its border adjusted.

Article 3- Procedures

Declaring a Legal Blockade- A blockade may be declared referencing specific planets or an entire sovereign power. In either event the blockade must be effective and enforced to be binding on neutral powers. To be considered binding and legal a blockade must be enforced entirely within neutral space, the territorial space of the declaring power or the territorial space of the power against which a blockade has been declared.

Issuing a Letter of Marque- A Letter of Marque may be issued against specific targets for a specific period of time authorizing and making others aware of the authorization of a nations desire to take actions that would otherwise be prohibited by this treaty against Civilian or Military Flagged Ships in neutral space.

Annexation of Territorial Space by Treaty- In the event one-power grants authority and title over a region of its territorial space to another power the signatories of this treaty will not unduly delay the acceptance of such changes as established fact. Star charts used for the purposes of this treaty will be promptly amended and a vote will be called for their acceptance.

Annexation of Neutral Space by Treaty- In the event a power wishes to annex a portion of neutral space through and have it recognized by this treaty organization they will submit their claim and reasoning for to the signatories and in the event a super-majority can be mustered that territory will be duly reclassified on the star charts.

Annexation of Neutral or Territorial Space by Fact- For the purposes of minimizing incidences from which further conflict may emerge it may from time to time be necessary for the signatories to recognize that ownership of an area of space has occurred by fact but not through a treaty process or through the approval of the signatories of this treaty. Ownership by fact can be agreed to have occurred when the space in question has been duly marked and stated by the owning power, proper navigation systems have been put in place notifying others of the border and the planets contained within that area of space are under the defacto if not legal control of the power claiming the space. Annexation by Fact allows for ships to be given due caution and for the rules of this treaty to be observed as if that territory were territorial space without the signatories of the treaty agreeing that it is in fact legally held territory. This is intended to allow for the smooth transit of goods and trade during times of crisis.

Article 4- Ratification

This treaty is submitted to the governments of the Gorn Hegemony, Teuri Assembly and Ferengi-Kazon Imperium for their signatures. Upon the signatures of those three parties the treaty shall be opened for signature by any other parties who wish provided a majority of the current signers agree to their inclusion.

Article 5- Amendments

This treaty shall be amended only upon the mustering of a 3/4ths majority to do so.

It shall then be sent to the various powers for ratification. In the event that a power cannot or will not ratify the new document they shall retain the option to continue to abide by the last version of this treaty they did accept unless such status is specifically forbidden in the amendment.

Deepcrush wrote:For us, this seems more like yet another form alliance. After the fallout caused by the Non-Proliferation Treaty, we see no reason to risk yet more conflict then is needed.