Ослабление; быть лишенным чего-либо; защищать; убрать (устранить); укреплять; наблюдение; нетронутый; жестокий; этническая чистка; рисковать; происхождение; быть приговоренным к; подвергаться; искажать; жесткая мера.

4.Read the article again and answer the questions using the active vocabulary.

1.What is the non-government organization LIDLIP concerned about?

2.When did the Pontian ethnic cleansing take place?

3.What rights are Pontians deprived of?

4.Has the sense of Pontians' particular identity weakened recently?

5.What sort of measures do Turkish authorities take?

6.What attempts do pseudo-scientists make?

7.What are Pontian travelers from Greece subjected to?

8.What did Pontian people preserve intact?

9.What do students of Pontian descent run a risk of?

10.What measure is necessary to safeguard the Pontian culture according to LIDLIP?

5.Imagine that you work for LIDLIP and using the article make a formal report on the case of the Pontians at the UN Commission on Human Rights including the following:

1.A summary of the problems the Pontians face in Turkey today.

2.Your proposals for the Turkish authorities and the international community to improve the situation.

6.Translate the following text into English.

Госдепартамент США опубликовал заявление своего официального представителя о ситуации с беженцами из Чечни. «Мы приветствуем решение России не заставлять беженцев возвращаться в Чечню против воли. Возвращение на родину должно быть добровольным, без всякого давления или принуждения. Те, кто не желает возвращаться в Чечню, должны иметь возможность остаться в других областях России».

Американский дипломат также заявил, что в разрешении любой ситуации с беженцами должны принимать участие такие международные организации, как ООН и ОБСЕ. По его словам, их деятельность носит конструктивный характер и способствует улучшению гуманитарной обстановки в местах проживания беженцев.

Comment on the quotation:

«Treat the enemy that has been conquered with courtesy and generosity». (Kwan-Tsze)

SECTION С

1. Read the article and look up the meaning of the underlined words and phrases in the dictionary.

International humanitarian law and human rights

International humanitarian law has a brief but eventful history. It was not until the second half of the nineteenth century that nations agreed on international rules to avoid needless suffering in wars — rules they bound themselves to observe in a Convention.

What is international humanitarian law? This body of law can be defined as the principles and rules which limit the use of violence in times of armed conflict. The aims are:

To protect persons who are not, or are no longer, directly engaged in hostilities — the wounded, shipwrecked, prisoners of war and civilians;

To limit the effects of violence in fighting to the attainment of the objectives of the conflict.

Three main currents have contributed to the making of international humanitarian law. They are the «law of Geneva», represented by the international Conventions and Protocols established under the aegis of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with the protection of the victims of conflict as their central concern; the «law of The Hague», based on the results of the Peace Conferences in the capital of the

Netherlands in 1899 and 1907, which dealt principally with the permissible means and methods of war, and the efforts of the United Nations to ensure that human rights are respected in armed conflicts and to limit the use of certain weapons.

As French and Austrian armies fought the battle of Solferino in northern Italy in June, 1859, the idea of international action to limit the suffering of the sick and wounded in wars was born in the mind of Henri Dunant, a young Swiss citizen.

Dunant found himself, more or less by accident, among thousands of French and Austrian wounded after the battle, and with a few other volunteers did what he could to ease their suffering. With four friends, Henri Dunant then set up the International Committee for Aid to the Wounded (soon to be renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross). Dunant's ideas met a wide response. In several countries national societies were founded and at a diplomatic conference in Geneva in 1864 the delegates of 16 European nations adopted the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of

The Peace Conferences at The Hague in 1899 and 1907 adopted conventions defining the laws and customs of warfare and declarations forbidding certain practices, including the bombardment of undefended towns, the use of poisonous gases and soft-nosed bullets. The conferences failed to agree on a system of compulsory arbitration as a means of settling disputes which threaten peace.

The United Nations role

The maintenance of peace, and the prevention of armed conflict are the vital concerns of the United Nations. Respect for human rights at all times and in all places is a fundamental principle of the Organization.

In 1949, the International Law Commission decided not to put the law of armed conflict on its agenda as attention to this branch of international law might be seen as a lack of trust in the capacity of the United Nations to maintain peace and security.

From the outset, however, United Nations bodies have cited the Geneva Conventions and Protocols, and have urged States to ratify, or to be guided by them. Theapplication of humanitarian law features constantly in the debates and decisions of the Commission on Human Rights and the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

The Teheran Conference

The International Conference on Human Rights in Teheran in 1968 (the International Year for Human Rights) declared that humanitarian principles must prevail during periods of armed conflict.

In the same year, the United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 2444 (XXIII) affirmed a resolution of the Twelfth International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (Vienna, 1965) which laid down three basic principles of action in armed conflict:

The right of parties to a conflict to adopt means of injuring the enemy is not unlimited; It is prohibited to launch attacks on civilian populations as such; a distinction must be made at all times between persons taking part in hostilities and members of the civilian population so that the latter are spared as much as possible.

With the adoption of resolution 2444, the General Assembly declared as unacceptable the idea of waging war against the entire population in an attempt to force theadversary to give up. The resolution also marked the acceleration of the movement to bring the three currents of international humanitarian law — Geneva, The Hague, and the United Nations — into one main stream. It recognized the interaction between rules to protect the victims of war, to establish rules of combat, and to protect human rights in armed conflicts.

Conclusion

The prevention of armed conflict is, and must remain, the first purpose of international co-operation. The second is to preserve humanity in the face of the reality of war. That is the intention of international humanitarian law.

In a little more than 100 years, an impressive body of international humanitarian treaty law has been established. There are today clear limits to the types of action that will be tolerated in armed conflict. However, treaties and conventions — even when solemnly ratified — cannot save lives, prevent ill-treatment, or protect the property of innocent people unless the will exists to apply these agreements in all conditions. Nor will they be effective unless everyone directly involved — combatants and civilians alike — realizes that the basic issue is one of respecting fundamental human rights.

2. Give Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases.

To be engaged in smth; a prisoner of war; an attainment; an objective; to contribute to; under the aegis of; an amelioration; customs of warfare; to enshrine; tolerance; compulsory; arbitration; to settle a dispute; vital; a maintenance; an application; a minority; a party to a conflict; to lay down; to prohibit; to launch an attack; to spare; to wage war; an adversary; an ill-treatment; a combatant.

3. Give English equivalents of the following words and phrases.

Участник боевых действий; цель; плохое обращение; жизненно важный; способы ведения войны; запретить; под эгидой; меньшинство; разрешить спор; быть вовлеченным во что-либо; сохранение мира; заложить (принцип); вести войну; военнопленный; обязательный; достижение; внести вклад во что-либо; терпимость; применение; участник конфликта; подвергнуть нападению; щадить; противник; закрепить (в законе); улучшение.

4.Read the text again and finish the following statements.

1.The international humanitarian law can be defined as...

2.The aims of international humanitarian law are ...

3.International humanitarian law was contributed by ...

4.The First Geneva Convention enshrined ...

5.The Peace Conferences at The Hague failed to agree on ...

6.The maintenance of peace, and the prevention of armed conflict are ...

7.The United Nations General Assembly affirmed a resolution of the Twelfth International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (Vienna, 1965) which...

8.Three basic principles of action in armed conflict are ...

9.With the adoption of resolution 2444, the General Assembly declared as unacceptable ...

10.The prevention of armed conflict is …

11.The second purpose of international cooperation is...

12.However, treaties and conventions cannot...

13.Treaties and conventions will not be effective unless...

5.Answer the following questions using the active vocabulary.

1.How can the international humanitarian law be defined?

2.What are the aims of international humanitarian law?

3.What contributed to international humanitarian law?

4.What did the First Geneva Convention enshrine?

5.What did the Peace Conferences at The Hague focus on?

6.What are the vital concerns of the United Nations?

7.What did the resolution of the Twelfth International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (Vienna, 1965) lay down?

8.What are three basic principles of action in armed conflict?

9.What cannot treaties and conventions do?

10.How is it possible to make treaties and conventions effective?

6.Using the active vocabulary render the article in English.

7.Questions for discussion.

1.Do you think the «law of Geneva» and the «law of The Hague» are still important? Give your grounds.

2.Why do you think some nations or leaders violate international humanitarian law?

3.What are the limits of international humanitarian law today?

4.What do you think may be done to improve the current international humanitarian law?

1 Enrichment and remedial programs — программы по обеспечению продуктами питания и лекарствами

2 UN High Commissioner for Refugees - Верховный комиссар ООН по делам беженцев