Since last Friday's shocking Serpentis strike against a Gallente cargo transport convoy, an incident that saw one of the Federation's six titans disappear into the hands of the criminal organization, numerous questions have been raised in the media as to President Foiritan's apparent unwillingness to send troops outside the jurisdiction of CONCORD to chase after the stolen vessel.
The Office of the President has denied that any spurious motives lay behind the decision not to send the Navy into the Fountain region on the day in question. Thuire Dercoucon, the President's Press Secretary, went on record Sunday as saying, "The President is conscious and aware of the fact that once our forces enter non-CONCORD-policed space there is precious little space left that's not claimed by some faction or organization. Trespassing on their areas was not something the President nor the Navy's commanders felt in a position to do, so it was decided that capsuleer intervention would be sought and large bounties rewarded. The Federation naturally is interested in maintaining good relations with our capsuleer neighbors and we will continue to respect their borders, whether or not that continues to be the trend in international politics."
When asked what the Federation's response would be to the fact that a large contingent of heavily-armed capsuleers banded together to help the Serpentis reach their goal, the Press Secretary told reporters the incident was still being investigated and that an official stance towards those who aided and abetted the Serpentis had yet to be formulated. He did however state that "those who openly act against [the Federation] should not be surprised to find themselves in the metaphorical line of fire at some point in the future."