Page 113 of Never
‘I guessed.’
Pauline did not need to go over all that had happened. Georges was always well briefed. She said: ‘Your army and mine work together in Chad, combating ISGS, but I don’t think we want to get involved in a squabble with Sudan.’
‘Correct.’
‘The danger is that if there are troops on both sides of the border, sooner or later some fool is going to fire a rifle, and we’ll end up fighting a battle no one wants.’
‘True.’
‘My idea is a twenty-kilometre-wide demilitarized zone along the border.’
‘Excellent idea.’
‘I believe the Egyptians and the Sudanese will agree to keep their forces ten kilometres from the border if you and I do the same.’
There was a pause. Georges was no pushover and now, as she had anticipated, he was making unsentimental calculations. ‘On the face of it that sounds like a good idea,’ he said.
Pauline waited for him to say ‘but’.
However, he did not. Instead he said: ‘Let me run it past the military.’
‘I’m sure they’ll approve,’ Pauline said. ‘They won’t want an unnecessary war.’
‘You may well be right.’
‘One other thing,’ Pauline said.
‘Ah.’
‘We have to go first.’
‘You mean we impose a limit on ourselvesbeforethe Egyptians agree to do the same?’
‘I think they will probably agree in principle, but will not actually make the commitment until they have seen us do it.’
‘The snag.’
‘But your troops are nowhere near the border right now, so you merely need to announce that you’re going to observe the demilitarized zone as a gesture of goodwill, in the firm hope that the other side will reciprocate. You will look like the sensible peacemaker, which of course you are. Then you can see what happens. If the other side don’t do their bit, then you can move your troops to the border any time you like.’
‘My dear Pauline, you’re very persuasive.’
‘I hate to blight your evening, Georges, but could you talk to the military right away? Perhaps even before dinner?’ It was a bold request, but she hated delay: an hour turned into a day, and a day turned into a week, and bright ideas died from lack of oxygen. ‘If you could give me an okay before you retire for the night, I could progress this with the Egyptians, and you might wake up to a safer world in the morning.’
He laughed. ‘I like you, Pauline. You have something. There’s a Yiddish word. Chutzpah.’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘It is. You will hear from me this evening.’
‘I really appreciate that, Georges.’
‘You’re welcome.’
They both hung up.
Chess said: ‘Let me tell you something, Madam President. You’re very good. Incredibly good.’
‘Let’s see if it works,’ said Pauline.
