Ceasefire will come into force on Sunday, but Hollande and Merkel say much work still to be done after marathon overnight negotiations

The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have reached a ceasefire deal after 17 hours of talks in Minsk, Belarus, on the Ukrainian conflict. The ceasefire will come into force on Sunday as part of a deal that also involves the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who helped to broker the deal alongside the French president, François Hollande, said “we now have a glimmer of hope”. Hollande said the deal covered all the contentious issues, including border control, decentralisation, and the resumption of economic relations, but also warned that much more needed to be done to resolve the crisis.

In a diplomatic blitz that began last week, Merkel and Hollande visited Kiev and Moscow to speak to Poroshenko and Putin, paving the way for the marathon session in Minsk.

Earlier, Ukraine had played down speculation about a possible ceasefire agreement, accusing Russia of imposing “unacceptable” conditions.

Speaking after the talks, Donetsk rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko called the treaty a “major victory for the Luhansk and Donetsk people’s republics”. But despite the celebratory words, the fledgling peace process remained very fragile. Zakharchenko warned that all “responsibility will be on Petro Poroshenko”, and that the peace process would fall through if Kiev violated the new agreements, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

It remained unclear what actions were to be taken in Debaltseve, the current major point of contention between the warring sides in eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russian fighters have been trying to take the town and its railroad junction from Ukrainian forces in weeks of heavy fighting, with violence escalating in the buildup to the peace talks.

The US president, Barack Obama, has faced rising calls at home to send military aid to Ukraine, but European leaders fear it would only aggravate the violence.

Active V ocabulary

1.	to clinch an agreement	добиться подписания соглашения, окончательно решить вопрос о подписании соглашения
	comprehensive settlement	всеобъемлющее урегулирование
2.	to defuse a conflict	разрешить, уладить конфликт
	to devolve powers to smb	передавать полномочия к-л
	n. devolution	деволюция, передача полномочий центральной власти местным органам самоуправления
3.	to withdraw/to pull out troops	выводить войска
	n. withdrawal	вывод
	withdrawal of heavy weapons	отвод тяжелой артиллерии
4.	shuttle diplomacy	челночная дипломатия
	to curb a nuclear programme/ the arms race	ограничить, взять под контроль ядерную программу/ сдерживать, обуздать гонку вооружений
5.	violation of sovereignty/ territorial integrity	нарушение суверенитета / территориальной целостности
	breach of international law	нарушение, несоблюдение норм международного права
	v. to breach, to violate syn. to infringe on /infringement ant. to observe	нарушать, не соблюдать посягать на/посягательство соблюдать
	to dispatch observers	направить миссию наблюдателей
	under the auspices of the UN syn. under the aegis	под эгидой ООН
6.	peacekeeping	миротворческая деятельность
	peacekeeping force/peacekeepers	контингент миротворческих сил
	UN observer mission / monitoring mission	миссия наблюдателей ООН
	to monitor	контролировать, наблюдать
	to deploy a mission/ troops/ a missile defense system	размещать, развертывать миссию/ войска/систему ПРО
	n. deployment	размещение, развертывание
7.	legitimate government	законное правительство
	ant. illegitimate	незаконный
	v. to legitimize	узаконить, признать законным
	to convene a conference	созвать конференцию
8.	to embrace peace	вступить на путь мира, обрести мир
	to lay down arms/weapons	сложить оружие
	syn. to abandon /to hang up arms
	ant. to take up arms	взяться за оружие
	dissolution/disbanding	расформирование, роспуск
	v. to dissolve/disband	расформировать, распустить
9.	to rubber-stamp	автоматически принимать все законопроекты, вносимые правительством
	reunification	воссоединение
	sabre-rattling	«бряцание оружием», демонстрация готовности применить военную силу
	talking shop	«говорильня»; парламент, не имеющий реального влияния на принятие законопроектов
	renegade	мятежный, изменнический
	to claim sovereignty over sth	требовать право суверенитета над к-л территорией
10.	peace process	мирный процесс, процесс мирного урегулирования
	contentious issue	острый вопрос вопрос, вызывающий споры

      

II. a) Find the English for the following word combinations used in the
    articles of this section (the number of the article is given in
    brackets):

подготовить почву для ч-л (1);

разоружить незаконные формирования (2);

вызывать озабоченность (3), учитывая (3);

покидающий пост (4);

прямой, откровенный (5), единство взглядов (5), соотечественники (5), прямолинейный ответ (5);

обдумывать, размышлять (6), наложить вето на резолюцию (6);

отчитывать, подвергать суровой критике (7); выступить с заявлением (8);

разрабатывать законопроекты (9), рядовые члены партии (9);

совместно с кем-л. (10), сорваться, провалиться (10), подготовка к переговорам (10), усугубить (10)

 

      b) Translate into Russian the following word combinations used in the articles of this section (the number of the article is given in brackets):

sanctions relief (1), vigorous inspections of facilities (1), reversible (1);

to vacate (2), capital crimes (2), to beef up manpower (2);

to loom (4),  to step up (4), crunch talks (4);

marathon call (5), to face repercussions (5);

contingency plan (6);

to flout humanitarian values (7), a fresh conference (7);

an irreversible step (8), Sinn Fein (8), Ulster (8), the IRA (8), to stop short of sth (8), unpredictable (8);

to raise the profile (9), mainland (9), to rule sth out (9);

a diplomatic blitz (10), to play down speculation (10), fledgling peace process (10)

 

III. Translate the sentences, paying attention to the underlined words.

 

A. 1. Washington, Moscow and others are hoping to build on the rare consensus achieved over the chemical weapons issue, to push for peace settlement talks in Geneva.

2. Labour leader Ed Miliband said that "greater diplomatic efforts" would "give us our best chance of leaving behind an inclusive and durable settlement in Afghanistan".

3. The sanctions are aimed at forcing Russia to help defuse the Ukraine conflict and put pressure on the rebels to disarm. A new sanctions list naming individuals and organisations will be drawn up by EU ambassadors by Thursday, Mr Timmermans told reporters after meeting his EU colleagues in Brussels.

4. So focused has Mr Obama been on managing America’s withdrawal from costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many say, that he has let America’s global leadership role slide.

5. Kerry said Russia had withdrawn one battalion from the border region and had said it would make further, bigger withdrawals as the Geneva agreement was implemented.

6. The US currently has about 60,000 troops in Afghanistan, after withdrawing some 23,000 this year. The White House is expected to spell out its plans for withdrawal in January.

7. The decision on the pace of withdrawal was agreed at a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday, at which officials said politicians and military chiefs were in consensus on the timetable.

8. As the shah pondered a deal with Iraq, Kissinger continued with his shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East. During his frequent visits to Jerusalem, his Israeli hosts pressed him to do something to reverse the tide of the Kurdish war.

News of the Algiers agreement reached Kissinger while he was preparing for one of his regular shuttle diplomacy trips to the Middle East.

9. The Syrian government complained that the Arab League's proposals would infringe onnational sovereignty, although it did not reject them.

10. Without commenting on Mehsud's death, the Pakistan government said it strongly condemned the drone attack as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. It took place a day before a delegation had been due to fly to North Waziristan to meet Mehsud and other senior militants.

11. Jakarta has previously expressed concern over Mr Abbott's policy of sending boats with illegal migrants back to Indonesia - and warned that the move could breach the country's sovereignty. But Mr Abbott reassured his hosts that Australia had total respect for Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

12. Mr Taylor, who is wanted for war crimes in Sierra Leone, has accepted a Nigerian offer of asylum, but says he will go only after peacekeepers arrive. The rebels fear he will stay and try to use the presence of foreign soldiers to cling to power.

13. This week France became the first Western power to recognize Syria's opposition coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. The French government plans to push for a relaxation of the EU arms embargo to Syria to enable "defensive arms" to reach opposition fighters.

14. After talks with the Mr Cameron in Downing Street on Sunday, Mr Putin showed little sign of compromising on Syria. He said Russia was “supplying arms to thelegitimat e government of Syria in line with international law”.

15. Senior diplomats from the United States, Russia and the United Nations have failed to agree on a date for convening a long-awaited peace conference aimed at settling the Syria conflict, acknowledging it would not take place this month and possibly not this year.

16. Four months ago Mr Zapatero gained preliminary permission from the Spanish parliament to open talks with Eta if the group laid down its arms. That brought protests from the opposition People's party and a quarter of a million people in Madrid demonstrated against it.

17. The governing Ennahda party has offered to support an all-party government but has ruled out calls to dissolve the constituent assembly or remove Prime Minister Ali Laaraiedh.

18. North Koreans have been voting in a five-yearly election to approve members of the rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly. The election is the first to be held under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, who came to power in December 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.

19. “To replace the fragile ceasefire mechanism by a lasting peace mechanism on the Korean peninsula with a view to doing away with the last leftover of the cold war era is essential not only for the peace and reunification of Korea but for the peace and security in north-east Asia and the rest of the world,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman said, according to a report from the North’s Korean Central News agency.

20. China is using "soft power" in order to encourage Taiwan to re-unite with the mainland after more than 60 years of confrontation. Although some Taiwan officials warn against boosting close relations with China, others openly praise the idea of reunification.

21. Polls have closed in Taiwan's local election, widely been seen as a    referendum on relations with China. China sees Taiwan as a renegade province which it should re-unite with.

22. Although the Minsk agreement represents a breakthrough in a long-frustrated peace process, several key points will be difficult and time-consuming to achieve.

B. 1. But even as Gross was en route to the US, it became clear that a far larger negotiation had been underway since private talks began in Canada in June 2013. These were supported and closely watched by Pope Francis, who personally wrote to both leaders and hosted a crucial secret summit at the Vatican this autumn, which they credited with helping clinch the deal.

2. North Korea spent this week outlining a string of deals it said would clinch thenuclear disarmament process, culminating in a call yesterday to replace the armistice that ended the Korean war with a peace agreement. The armistice means that the two Koreas are technically still enemies following the 1950-53 Korean war.

3. The signing of the ceasefire was intended to create the space for a political settlement to be hammered out. The prospects of that are dimming by the hour.

4. Even if a settlement to the diplomatic dispute is brokered by the Brazilian president, the thorny issue of Venezuela’s alleged support for the Farc will remain. Colombia, Washington staunchest regional ally in the war on terrorism, said it would present Caracas with details of the location of seven top Farc commanders and several guerrilla camps in Venezuela.

5. ‘Russia's demand of NATO is unlikely to defuse the Ukraine conflict ’, Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the BBC. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Tuesday voiced what Russia wants from the West over Ukraine: guarantees that the former Soviet republic will not join NATO, an outcome that political analysts agree was already unlikely in the year-long conflict that has already claimed 4,000 lives.

6. Some Ugandan officials recently threatened to pull their troops out of Somalia because they were angry that a U.N. investigative panel accused Uganda of backing a brutal rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which the Ugandans vehemently deny.

7. In Kiev, though many initially welcomed the ceasefire, doubts about the durability of peace sounded out across the political spectrum even before the fighting resumed. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, writing on Facebook on September 5th, suggested a three-step peace plan of his own, calling for the withdrawal of the “Russian army” and reiterating his proposal to construct a wall along Ukraine's eastern border.

8. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says that if the Syrian government were to fully sign up to the peace plan, it would have to withdraw all its military forces from towns and villages around the country, release detainees, and allow observers in to ensure the violence really had ended.

9. The years between the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty witnessed both the dramatic transformation of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the ascendency of the United States as the most influential superpower in the Middle East. No American figure loomed larger in this period than Henry Kissinger, who entered the picture in 1969 as Richard Nixon’s national security adviser. Kissinger would play a pivotal role in guiding the diplomacy of the Nixon (1969-1974) and Gerald Ford (1974-1977) administrations, and, toward the Arab-Israeli conflict, establishing an approach that came to be known as shuttle diplomacy.

10. Ms Merkel certainly deserves a lot of credit for her determined shuttling among Kiev, Moscow, Munich, Washington and Minsk in the urgent search for a resolution of the biggest security crisis to confront Europe since the end of the Cold war.

11. During his period in office, President Morsi took measures to curb the lawlessness, but he was accused by the army of being too lenient.

12. Australia's new Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is in Indonesia on his first official foreign visit, has said the two countries are "united" on the issue of asylum seekers. After talks in Jakarta with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Mr Abbott said Australia respected Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    Mr Yudhoyono said the solution was co-operation between the two nations.At least 31 asylum seekers drowned off the Java coast last week.

13. Talks between the country and the independence movement Polisario are due to take place next month under UN supervision, and in the presence of neighbouring Algeria and Mauritania. The government in Rabat has offered autonomy for the region, falling short of full sovereignty.

14. Hopes of ending Liberia’s civil war have surged this week with the arrival of the first foreign peacekeepers, a lull in fighting, increased aid and peace envoys shuttling between rebels and government officials.

15. Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich on Tuesday called on the international community to show "prudence" over the crisis and observe international law. "Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region are fraught with new suffering in Syria and catastrophic consequences for other countries of the Middle East and North Africa," he said in a statement.

16. Rebels renewed their assault on the Liberian capital, Monrovia, at the weekend, sending thousands of civilians fleeing and shattering the fragile ceasefire before peacekeepers arrive.

17. As African leaders struggled to put together an international force for Somalia, an Islamist group vowed Tuesday to fight any peacekeeping troops sent to the anarchic Horn of Africa Nation. A total of 8,000 troops are seen as necessary to fill a power vacuum when Ethiopian troops pull out after having backed the government in a brief war that defeated the Islamists who ran much of the country for the previous six months.

18. A city that once echoed with gunfire and was haunted by emaciated, hollow-eyed famine victims is now returning to life. One big question is what will happen with the thousands of Ugandan peacekeepers in Mogadishu whose steady pummeling of Islamist militants has paved the way for this renaissance.

19. After talks with the US Defence Secretary on Tuesday, Mr Lavrov said the US had reiterated its intention of deploying missile defence facilities in eastern Europe, and that his government still opposed those plans. Washington wants the shield to destroy ballistic missiles potentially coming from “rogue” states such as North Korea and Iran.

20. Missile defense has been a long-standing impediment in relations between Russia and the West. Russian leaders staunchly opposed the US administration plan to deploy elements of a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, claiming that such system could be directed against Russia.

21. In another development on Wednesday, a senior Turkish foreign ministry official told Reuters news agency that Ankara would make an official request to Nato to deploy a Patriot surface-to-air defence missile system along the border with Syria.

22. The deployment of tens of thousands of US troops on the Japanese archipelago – the “unsinkable aircraft carrier” in the cold war phrase – along with South Korea and elsewhere in the Pacific, has been crucial in keeping a lid on unsolved territorial disputes and historical enmities.

23. The already tattered truce which was signed September 5, has looked ever more fragile since rebels defied the government Sunday and held leadership elections that they described as legitimising their two self-declared independent states.

24. The twin moves to punish Moscow and embrace the pro-EU government in Kiev come as pessimism grows among diplomats that they will be able to head off a scheduled referendum on independence in Crimea set for Sunday, which western leaders have condemned as illegitimate.

25. The Basque country's Socialist regional prime minister, Patxi López, last month responded to a call from Eta prisoners for the group to embrace peace by proposing that those in jails around Spain be moved to Basque prisons.

26. The main sticking points have been the Maoists’ refusal to lay down their weapons and squabbling between the main political parties in Nepal over how many seats they will get in an interim parliament.

27. A decision by the group to lay down arms may provoke the appearance of splinter groups dedicated to keeping the violence going, similar to the Real IRA in Northern Ireland, according to a former senior Socialist interior ministry official.

28. Observers say the candidate list is an opportunity to see who is in or out of favour with the leadership, calling the event a ‘rubber-stamp election’.

29. Korea was divided at the end of World War II. Both the North and South officially support reunification, but the governments are also technically at war, according to the BBC. President Park Geun-hye has pushed heavily for reunification in recent months and announced in July a special committee to “prepare for Korean unification," the Guardian reported at the time.

30. The Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders say they want to end the island's division "as soon as possible" after resuming reunification talks. Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades met his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Dervis Eroglu at a UN compound in the capital Nicosia. The previous round of negotiations had stalled in mid-2012. Cyprus split after a coup in 1974 that was aimed at uniting the island with Greece, sparking a Turkish invasion. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan also expressed hope that the talks would lead to a breakthrough.

31. Moscow is insisting the exercises are routine drills, but they have been widely interpreted as sabre -rattling by Putin. Russia also reportedly put fighter jets near the border on alert as it warned of “a tough and uncompromised response to violations of compatriots’ rights”.

32. Taiwan's entire cabinet has resigned after the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) suffered its biggest ever defeat in local elections on Saturday. The election was widely seen as a rejection of the KMT's policy of pursuing closer ties with Beijing. China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, with China viewing it as a renegade province.

 

IV. Fill in the blanks with suitable words in the necessary form from the list given below:

 

a) legitimate, to deliver arms to the rebels, parties, escalating war, allies (2), rebels, rifts, civil war, dispute on, a bid, counterpart, on the sidelines, discussions

G8 opens amid (……………..) Syria arms

The Group of Eight summit opens on Monday against a backdrop of serious (……..) between Russia and the US and its (……..) over the arming of both sides in Syria’s (……………).

While UK Prime Minister David Cameron will seek to keep his agenda of trade, tax and transparency on track, Syria’s (……………..) will be of key importance as US President Barack Obama meets with his Russian (……………..) Vladimir Putin (……………..) of the summit in (…….) to find common ground.

Mr Putin delivered a clear warning that the US and its (……..) do not arm opposition (…………) in Syria, reasserting Russia’s uncompromising support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime and backing what he described a “(……………)” government.

Following his meeting with Mr Cameron on Sunday, Mr Putin directly attacked the decision by Mr Obama last week (……………………..) in Syria in order to tilt the battlefield away from the regime and try to force it to the negotiating table.

After holding what he called “serious and honest” (……………) with the Russian leader, Mr Cameron said he would use the G8 summit to try to make progress on Syria, aiming to get a conference held at Geneva that would bring all (………) to the negotiating table.

 

b) a peace settlement, cessation of hostilities, to rage, ceasefire, breakthrough, rebel representatives, a lull, opposite number, to suffer heavy losses, combatants, to observe, roadmaps

    Ukraine’s ceasefire

A tenuous (……….) took hold in Ukraine on September 5th, bringing (……..) to fighting that (………) for nearly five months, killing over 2,500 people. The agreement, devised by Russia's Vladimir Putin and signed by Ukrainian and (………………………….), held for little more than 24 hours since coming into force at 6pm local time. Mr Putin and Petro Poroshenko, his Ukrainian (………………..), continue to express hopes that it (……………….).

The apparent (…………..) at the negotiating table came on the heels of (          ………..) in recent weeks. President Petro Poroshenko, apparently grasping the futility of continuing to fight a battle his forces cannot win, has become an advocate for (…………………..) even though he knows it will come at a very heavy price.

The peace plan contains elements of (……………) set forth by both leaders. It reportedly calls for the immediate (…………….), prisoner exchanges and amnesty for certain (…………). The exact status of Ukraine's Donbas region, however, remains an open question.

 

V. Replace the Russian words with their English equivalents in the
    necessary form:

 

a) Syria expects to sign Arab League (мирный договор)  ____________'soon'

Syria has responded "positively" to an Arab League initiative aimed at ending eight months of deadly (беспорядки, волнения) ____________, its foreign ministry (представитель)___________ has said.

Jihad al-Makdisi told reporters that he expected a deal to be signed soon.

He spoke after (истечение) ____________ of the latest (крайний срок) set by the Arab League for Damascus to agree to its peace plan and allow in (наблюдатели, чтобы контролировать) __________________it.

Syria is under pressure to end its (жесткие меры по подавлению восстания) _______________________ the UN says has left more than 4,000 people dead. The Arab League had given the Syrian government until Sunday to sign its peace initiative and agree to (размещение миссии наблюдателей) _____________________, or face (наложение) ___________of further sanctions (одобренные) _____________last week.

Mr Makdisi said that the government wanted the agreement to be signed in Damascus rather than at the Arab League's (штаб - квартира) _______________ in Cairo or elsewhere. Once that had been done, he added, he expected (что санкции в отношении Сирии будут сняты) _______________________.

Despite the Arab League's efforts, (насилие) __________ is continuing in Syria. At least 950 people are reported to have been killed in November alone, making it the deadliest month since (восстание) _____________ began in mid-March.

Earlier this week, UN Human Rights Council strongly (осудил) __________the "gross and systematic"(нарушения) ___________ by Syrian forces, and said it was appointing a special investigator to report on the ongoing (репрессивные меры) __________________.

b) Eta 'is preparing (объявить прекращение огня) _______________ after secret talks'

The armed Basque separatist group Eta is expected (объявить прекращение огня) __________________ within three months after secret, (непрямые переговоры) ________________ with the Spanish government, according to press reports yesterday. The newspaper El Mundo quoted unnamed sources as saying that (дата прекращения огня) ______________was "practically fixed" and only a change of heart by Eta (помешает подписанию договора) _______________________.

El Mundo said intelligence service sources had told it that the talks (продвинулись) _________considerably in August. The Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero would react to (объявление о прекращении огня) ________________by seeking parliamentary permission (заключить постоянное соглашение о мире) __________________, it added.

The report coincided with another newspaper, El País, saying that the government was demanding that (запрещенная, объявленная вне закона) _____________Basque separatist party Batasuna put pressure on Eta (сложить оружие) ______________.

(Пре c с - секретарь) _______________ Mr Zapatero last night refused to confirm or deny the reports. (Наблюдатели) __________ said they would not be surprised if (договор о прекращении огня) ______________ was close, but suspected it was premature to talk of a timetable.

Eta (несколько раз объявляла и отменяла прекращение огня) _______________before, with a 1998 (перемирие) ____________ lasting 15 months. In recent months it has given out confusing signals. In June it (призвала к мирному процессу) ______________ and said it would stop attacking elected Spanish (политики) ____________. A month later, however, it said it would still target members of the government.

This summer it did not carry out its normal bombing campaign against tourism targets, provoking further (слухи, предположения) ____________ that it was ready (сложить оружие) __________________.

 

VI. Translate into English:

A.	1.	Представители мирового сообщества применяют методы челночнойдипломатии, чтобы взять под контроль ядерную программу Ирана.
	2.	Нужно направить в эту страну наблюдателей, которые будут работать под эгидой ООН.
	3.	Наблюдатели будут контролировать ситуацию в этой стране и представят отчет, на основании которого может быть принято решение о необходимости вмешательства миротворческих сил.
	4.	После переворота выяснилось, что парламент этой страны не имел реального влияния на процесс законотворчества, а лишь автоматически принимал все законопроекты, предложенные ныне свергнутым президентом.
	5.	Мировое сообщество осудило действия этой страны как посягательство на суверенитет и территориальную целостность другого государства.
	6.	США протестуют против размещения российских войск на украинской территории, заявляя, что Россия не соблюдает нормы международного права.
	7.	Посредники решили созвать мирную конференцию с участием всех сторон конфликта и призвать их вступить на путь мира.
	8.	Стороны договорились о перемирии, после чего повстанцы сложилиоружие и расформировали свою группировку.

 

B.	1.	Центральному правительству удалось урегулировать конфликт, передав часть полномочий органам местного самоуправления.
	2.	Стороны добились подписания соглашения, войска были выведены, а конфликт – разрешен.
	3.	Чтобы не допустить всеобщей войны, мы должны сдерживать гонку вооружений.
	4.	Законно избранный президент созвал конференцию и призвалвоинствующие группировки сложить оружие.
	5.	Новое правительство распустило парламент, который автоматическипринимал все законопроекты президента.
	6.	Эта мятежная провинция требует суверенитета.
	7.	Законно избранное правительство понимает, что демонстрация силы не способствует воссоединению страны.
	1. 8.	США утверждают, что размещение систем ПРО в Европе направлено против стран с непредсказуемой внешней политикой.

 

С.	а) Израиль подрывает мирный процесс на Ближнем Востоке

 

Министр иностранных дел Великобритании Уильям Хейг 22 января осудил израильское руководство за подрыв ближневосточного мирногопроцесса. По его словам, продолжение строительства еврейских поселений на Западном берегу не только сводит на нет международную поддержку Израиля, но и влечет за собой «потенциально катастрофические» последствия для урегулирования конфликта. Он считает, что в результате строительства и расширения поселений перспектива реализации признанной международным сообществом концепции «два государства для двухнародов» становится все более туманной.

2013 г., как считает Хейг, должен стать решающим для палестино-израильского урегулирования, так как Израиль получит новое правительство, а в США уже начался заключительный президентский срок Барака Обамы. «Если мы не сумеем достичь прогресса в этом году, то все начнут понимать, что разделение Палестины и Израиля стало невозможным», – отметил британский министр.

Вопросам урегулирования 25-летнего ближневосточного конфликта будет посвящено основное время его рабочего визита в Вашингтон на следующей неделе. Заявления Хейга прозвучали на фоне выборов в Кнессет Израиля, которые проходили 22 января. Считается, что наибольшие шансы на хороший результат имеет партия «Еврейский дом», призывающаяотказаться от принципа «два государства для двух народов» и аннексировать свыше 60% территории Западного берега. Эта партия может сформировать коалиционное правительство с правой партией Ликуд – вероятным победителем выборов. Ее лидер Биньямин Нетаньяху также придерживаетсяжесткой линии в отношении в палестинцев, но официально не отказывает им в праве на самостоятельное государство. Как сообщают новостные агентства, правительство Нетаньяху последние годы активно поддерживало застройку арабских земель еврейскими поселениями, а за несколько месяцев до выборов даже форсировало этот процесс.

б) Конгресс депутатов Испании единогласно одобрил резолюцию о признании Государства Палестина

ИТАР-ТАСС сообщает, что Конгресс депутатов (нижняя палата испанского парламента) одобрил сегодня внесенную соцпартией резолюцию с призывом к правительству страны признать Палестину в качестве независимого государства. Однако внесенная в резолюцию правящей в Испании Народной партией поправка указывает на то, что “это признание должно быть следствием переговорного процесса между Израилем и Палестиной, который бы гарантировал мир и безопасность обеих сторон, а также права граждан и стабильность в этом регионе”. Кроме того, одобренная резолюция содержит призыв к правительству способствовать признанию государственности Палестины другими странами ЕС “в рамках мирного процесса на Ближнем Востоке, основанного на сосуществовании двух государств – Израиля и Палестины – при обеспечении безопасности и процветания каждого из них”. Теперь документ поступит на рассмотрение в верхнюю палату правительства.

Министр иностранных дел и сотрудничества королевства Хосе Мануэль Гарсия-Маргальо заявил, что в случае признания Испанией независимости Палестины, это “не должно быть рассмотрено как чисто символический акт, а послужить продолжению процесса мирногоурегулирования конфликта на Ближнем Востоке”.

 

VII. Translate the headlines:

A.

1.US-ISRAEL RELATIONS TESTED BY KERRY SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY

2. AFGHAN FIGHTING ESCALATES AS UK DEPLOYMENT LOOMS

3. MAOIST REBELS ‘TO LAY DOWN ARMS’

4. US SEES COALITION ALLIES STEP UP PACE OF PULLOUT

5. ISLAMISTS VOW TO FIGHT ANY NEW PEACEKEEPERS

6. GERMAN CHANCELLOR SOFTENS STANCE ON DEPLOYMENT OF NATO TROOPS

B.

1. HU AIMS TO DEFUSE TENSIONS WITH US

2. ITALIAN TROOPS FERRIED IN TO BOLSTER PEACEKEEPING FORCE

3. ISRAEL SUSPENDS PULLBACK FROM OCCUPIED AREAS

4. ABBAS DEPLOYS FORCES TO GAZA FRONTLINE

5. US IS READY TO BACK WITHDRAWAL PLAN

6. ISRAEL SCORES DIPLOMATIC COUP AFTER GAZA PULLOUT

 

VIII. This chart contains some of the geographical names mentioned in
the articles and assignments of this section. Supply the missing words.

a)

The name of the country	adjective	the capital city
		Lisbon
Libya
		Islamabad
Mauritania
	Brazilian
		Beirut
Somalia
	Algerian
		Caracas
Poland

b)

The name of the country	adjective	the capital city
Australia
	Nigerian
		Addis Ababa
	Tunisian
Spain
		Nicosia
Kenya
		Jakarta
Nepal
	Czech

 

IX. Find an article in a current newspaper on the topic The Peace Process and report it in class.