US to Work Closely with Jordan on Mideast Talks

 　　President Barack Obama says the United States will consult closely with Jordan to advance peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.  The president met Tuesday in the White House with Jordan’s King Abdullah.

　　After the meeting, President Obama thanked the Jordanian monarch¹ for hosting Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in three meetings this month.

　　The president said he would stay in close contact with the king, and he offered any help necessary in bringing the two sides back to the talks.

　　“We talked about the importance of us continuing to consult closely together to encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to come back to the table and negotiate, in a serious fashion, a peaceful way forward," said President Obama. "And the Jordanians have taken great leadership on this issue, and we very much appreciate their direction on this issue.”

　　King Abdullah said the latest effort to get the talks moving again is just underway.

　　“Although this is still in the very early stages, we have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that we can bring the Israelis and Palestinians out of the impasse² that we are facing," said King Abdullah. "And we are in coordination³ on a regular basis with the president as well as with his administration.”

　　The meetings in Jordan are supported by the international Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators - the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union.  The Quartet hopes the Israelis and Palestinians can reach an agreement by the end of the year.

　　But the talks have stagnated⁴ for some time, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Palestinians are not ready to restart negotiations⁵.

　　President Obama said much has changed in the Middle East since his previous meeting with King Abdullah last May.  He mentioned the new governments in Egypt and Libya, and the bloodshed in Syria.

　　“Unfortunately, we are continuing to see unacceptable levels of violence inside that country," he said. "And so we will continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside.”

　　The president thanked King Abdullah for being the first Arab leader to call on Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to step down.

　　As reform efforts move through Middle Eastern countries, Mr. Obama said the king has been “ahead of the curve” in trying to respond to the legitimate⁶ concerns and aspirations⁷ of his own people.

　　The president said he and the king discussed Iran and Iraq, but he did not elaborate.

1 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

2 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

3 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

4 stagnated   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句
• His mind has stagnated since his retirement. 他退休后头脑迟钝了。 来自辞典例句

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

7 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。