The rationales and objectives of our various facilities differ, according to the nature of the problem being addressed.

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In many countries, those objectives have been achieved, according to the letter, and researchers who have permission from their governments to continue this research should do so.

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But on the issue of arms, I have said consistently and will say again today that we are constantly reviewing our assistance programs, constantly reviewing our policies with regards to Syria, and making changes and adjustments and increases in our assistance according to our assessments of what will help the Syrian people achieve their objectives.

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According to Hunt, also the BOA chief executive, there were two other objectives aside from bettering Turin - personal bests for as many GB athletes as possible, and gaining key lessons for London's summer Olympics in 2012.

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And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who dined with Mr. Corbat during the recent two-day summit, also subscribes to the philosophy, popularized by Peter Drucker, the management guru, that to manage something, you must objectively chart progress against stated objectives, according to people familiar with his thinking.

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