Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats

Level2Intermediate

1 Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

expel mild unjustied overcome summon

extradition targeted tit-for-tat fatal ban

1. A ____________ action is when you do the same thing to someone else that they have done to you.

2. If something is ____________, it is not fair or based on any good reason.

3.A____________isanofcialstatementorderingpeoplenottodosomething.

4.Ifanactionis____________,itisaimedataspecicgroupofpeople.

5. If something is ____________, it is not strong, severe or extreme.

6.Ifyou____________apersonfromaplace,youofciallyorderthatpersontoleave.

7. If you take a ____________ dose of something, it will kill you.

8.Ifyou____________aproblemorcrisis,yousucceedindealingwithit.

9.____________istheprocessofsendingacriminalbackforatrialtothecountrywherethecrime

was committed.

10.Ifyou____________apersontoaplace,youofciallyorderthemtogothere.

2 Find the information

Lookinthetextandndthisinformationasquicklyaspossible.

1.HowmanyRussiandiplomatsdidBritainexpel?

2.HowmanyBritishdiplomatsdidRussiaexpel?

3.WhatisthenameoftheformerRussiansecurityagentmurderedinLondon?

4.WhatisthenameoftheformerKGBagentchargedwiththemurder?

5.WhoisDavidMiliband?

6.WhoistheUSsecretaryofstate?
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Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats
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Putin hits back at UK by
expelling diplomats
Luke Harding in Moscow
July20,2007
1 JustfourdaysafterBritainexpelledfour
RussiandiplomatsoverthemurderofAlexander
Litvinenko,RussiahasexpelledfourBritish
diplomatsandbannedRussianofcialsfrom
travelling to the UK. Russias foreign ministry
announcedthatfourUKdiplomatshadbeen
asked to leave the country within the next
ten days.
2 ForeignministryspokesmanMikhailKamynin
also announced that the Kremlin would not
cooperatewiththeUKinghtingterrorismfor
thetimebeing,andwouldstopissuingvisas
toBritishofcials.Russianofcialswould
alsonolongeraskforvisastovisitBritain,he
said.Thismeanstherewillbenoprospect
of face-to-face government contact for the
foreseeable future. Mr Kamynin said that
Russias action was targeted, balanced and the
minimum necessary.
3 TheRussiantitfortatresponsewasmilder
thanmanypeopleexpected.Itcamejustfour
daysaftertheBritishforeignsecretary,David
Miliband,announcedthathewasexpelling
fourRussiandiplomatsbecauseofMoscows
failuretocooperateintheinvestigationintoMr
Litvinenkos death. Analysts said that Mr Putin
hadclearlydecidednottomaketheconictwith
Britainanyworse.TheRussianresponsewasa
carefulmirrorimageoftheBritishactions.Butthe
foreignsecretaryemphasizedBritainsconcern.
He said: We obviously believe that the decision
toexpelfourembassystaffiscompletely
unjustiedandwewillbedoingeverythingto
ensurethatthediplomatsandtheirfamiliesare
properlylookedafter.
4 LastnightMrVladimirPutinmadeanapparent
attempttoreducethetension.Ithinkrelations
betweenRussiaandBritainwilldevelopnormally
because both countries are interested in this, he
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said. It is necessary to measure ones actions
againstcommonsense,respectthelegitimate
interestsofpartnersandeverythingwillbe
alright. I think we will overcome this mini crisis,
he said.
5 TheRussianresponsedidnotaccusetheBritish
ofspying.ThiswasdespiteclaimsfromAndrei
Lugovoi,theformerKGBagentchargedwith
Mr Litvinenkos murder, that MI6 was involved.
Sergei Markov, a Kremlin adviser and leading
analyst said he thought Mr Putin had avoided too
strong a reaction because he doesnt want to
playtheroleoftheSovietUnion.Hedoesntwant
tohaveabigconictwiththewest.MrMarkov
saidthebanonBritishofcialstravellingto
Russia was not as strict as it seemed and would
notapplytoMrMilibandortoBritishMPswho
wanted to visit Russia.
6 Yesterday afternoon Russias foreign minister
summonedBritainsambassadorinMoscow,
SirAnthonyBrenton.HeandtheRussian
deputyforeignministerAlexanderGrushko
discussed the Litvinenko case. After the
meeting the ambassador said: He gave me
certainmessagestopassontotheForeign
Ofce.Ihaveunderlinedtohimmycontinuing
disappointmentatRussiasreactiontoour
requestforMrLugovoiandourhopethatRussia
willcooperate.
7 TheRussiandecisiontoexpeltheBritish
diplomatsmeansthattheBritishgovernmenthas
to decide its next move. The foreign secretary
saidtheexpulsionoftheBritishdiplomatswas
completelyunjustied.Headded:Weare
disappointedthattheRussiangovernment
hasnotindicatedanynewcooperationinthe
extradition of Mr Andrei Lugovoi for the alleged
murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
8 We are, however, encouraged that over the last
36 hours across the international community,
Europeancountries,theEUasawholeand
theUnitedStateshavemadesuchpositive
statements about the need to defend the integrity
oftheBritishjudicialsystem.Thisissomething
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Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats
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that we shall be continuing to discuss with the
international community over the next few days
and weeks.
9 Yesterdaysexpulsionswillprobablybe
welcomedbyBritishbusinesses,whichhad
fearedthatstrictrestrictionswouldbeplaced
onvisas.Thereissomehopethatbothsides
willstopthesetitfortatexpulsions,Sergei
Karaganov,ananalystwiththeEuropean
Studies Institute in Moscow, told the Guardian.
He added: Russia has done tit-for-tat. They
couldnthavedoneless.Buttheycouldhave
done much more.
10 Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent
whoedtoBritain,diedinaLondonhospitallast
November from a fatal dose of the radioactive
isotopepolonium210.TheUSsecretaryof
state,CondoleezzaRice,yesterday insisted that
Russia should not be isolated.
Guardian News & Media 2007
FirstpublishedinThe Guardian, 20/7/07

3 Comprehension check

Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1.TheBritishexpelledfourRussiandiplomatsbecauseRussiaexpelledfourBritishdiplomats.

2.PeopleexpectedtheRussianresponsetobemuchstronger.

3.TheBritishbelievethattheRussiansarenotcooperatingwiththeinvestigationintothemurderofMrLitvinenko.

4.ThemanaccusedofMrLitvinenkosmurdersaystheKGBwereinvolved.

5.CondoleezzaRicewantsRussiatobeisolatedoverthisaffair.

6.BritishMPswillnotbeallowedtotraveltoRussia.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

Lookinthetextandndthefollowingwordsandexpressions.

1.Athreewordexpressionmeaningin a situation where you are meeting and talking to another person directly.
(para2)

2.Afourwordexpressionmeaningfor as far in the future as can be determined, based on what is known now.
(para2)

3.Atwowordexpressionmeaningan exact copy.(para3)

4. A verb meaning to say that someone has done something wrong or has committed a crime.(para5)

5. A verb meaning tosayofciallythatsomeonehascommittedacrime.(para5)

6. A noun meaning themostseniorofcialatanembassy.(para6)

7. A verb meaning to emphasize something or say that it is important.(para6)

8.Anadjectivemeaningclaimed to be true, even though this has not been proved.(para7)

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5 Vocabulary2:Verb+nouncollocations

Matchtheverbsinthelefthandcolumnwiththenounsintherighthandcolumntoformcollocations.

1. issue a. a message
2. reduce b. a statement
3.passon c.restrictions
4. make d. a crisis
5.place e.avisa
6. overcome f. tension

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

Complete the table.

verb noun
1.expel
2. extradition
3. announce
4. investigation
5. reduce
6.disappoint
7. restrict
8. emphasis

7 Discussion

Should a citizen of your country who has committed a crime in another country be extradited to that
country to face trial? What are the arguments for and against extradition?
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