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| Words in the News
Monday 09 December 2002
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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Iraqi weapons dossier
Summary: The twelve-thousand page declaration from the Iraqi government about its remaining chemical, biological and nuclear programmes has arrived at UN headquarters in New York. This report from Greg Barrow.
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| | The News | |
| | | With little fanfare, the twelve-thousand page Iraqi declaration was wheeled through the main entrance of the UN headquarters in suitcases. There to receive it was Dr Hans Blix, the head of the United Nations weapons inspection team. For him this information about Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear programmes is a vital tool. Experts among his inspection team can cross-check it with existing intelligence. But more importantly, inspectors inside Iraq can go to specific sites and establish from these documents whether Iraq is indeed telling the truth when it claims it has no weapons of mass destruction.
The five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, Russia, France, China and the United States -- will now share the task of making an early assessment of the declaration. In a surprise move just hours after it arrived in New York, the Council decided to allow these nations to be among the first to view the documents that could dictate the course of military intervention against Iraq.
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| | The Words
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| | | with little fanfare
when something happens or is announced quietly and in a way that people don’t really notice, it is done with little fanfare
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| | | a vital tool
crucial, very important
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| | | cross-check
to check something is true by comparing it with other information
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| | | existing intelligence
information that the United Nations already has on Iraq
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| | | establish
decide that something is true
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| | | share the task of
work together on something
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| | | assessment
judgement, decision
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| | | a surprise move
a decision or action that surprises people
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| | | dictate the course of
decide the action taken
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