"Ireland is a friend in need and it is in our national interest that we should be prepared to help them at this difficult time, " he concluded.

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"Of course we should be prepared to use any scientific potential we have on Mir, " said Alexei Krasnov, deputy head of the Russian Space Agency's international cooperation department.

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And we agreed that NATO should be prepared to considered reciprocal reductions in non-strategic nuclear forces deployed in Europe.

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"No-one is suggesting, not even me, that the government is going to be able to control the weather but the government should be able to control how prepared we are for that weather, " she told MPs.

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And should those prove insufficient, we have to be prepared to take the necessary measures to uphold international peace and security and protect innocent people.

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"Of course, it is not just the lifeboat crews we should remember, but also their families and friends, who too are prepared for Christmas to be disturbed by the call of the pager, " he added.

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Thus, we need to be prepared for an even worse outbreak of swine flu this winter and should not declare victory too soon.

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