Record of Justice-Department affair held at Stockholm Palace, on Wednesday the 5th of April 1905 before His Royal Highness the Crown-Prince Regent in Joint Swedish and Norwegian Cabinet Council. [-- -- --] His Royal Highness the Crown-Prince Regent declared: "I have to-day summond you to Joint Cabinet Council in order to make the following address to you: I herewith exhort the Cabinet Councils of the United Kingdoms, on both sides without an one-sided adherence to standpoints formerly held, to immediately enter into free and friendly negotiations concerning a new arrangement of all matters affecting the Union, upon the fundamental principle that full equality between the countries should be tried to be established. The way which, in My opinion, ought to be chosen and in which, as far as I know, with a little good intention on both sides a solution of the difficulties satisfactory to all parties can be attained is this: Foreign Minister in common, be he a Swede or a Norwegian, responsible to both countries or to a joint institution; separate Consular service for each country arranged however, in such a way that the Consuls, in everything regarding the relations to Foreign Powers, should be under the Foreign Minister's direction and control. If, in the course of the negotiations, another form could be found for arranging the affairs affecting the Union, always however with the preservation of the community in the management and charge of Foreign affairs, which is an indispensable condition to the existence of the Union, I herewith declare myself, prepared to take also this form into earnest consideration." Mr. Berger, Chief of the Swedish Justice-Department, made the following statement: "In connection with what your Royal Highness has been pleased to declare and while emphasizing the desirability of opening further negotiations as to arranging the Union affairs, I recommend in all humility to request in persuance of Sec. 5 of the Act of Union, a report from the Norwegian Government as to the proposition of opening such negotiations." What the president of the Justice-Department had thus stated and recommended, was endorsed by the other members of the Swedish Cabinet Council. The Norwegian section of the Cabinet Council stated that, at present, it did not find any reason to give its opinion on the reality of the matter, but, with reference to Sec. 15 of the Norwegian Constitution and to Sec. 5 of the Act of Union, it confined itself in recommending the request of a report from the Norwegian Government. His Royal Highness the Crown-Prince Regent was graciously pleased to decree that the Norwegian Government's report of the matter should be requested. 13. Motion on the Union question in the First Chamber of the Swedish Riksdag.