美国国家公共电台 NPR--In the Balkans, tensions escalate between Serbia and Kosovo

In the Balkans, tensions escalate¹ between Serbia and Kosovo

Transcript²

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to the Atlantic Council's Ilva Tare³ about why tensions are rising between Serbia and Kosovo, and NATO's pledge to increase peacekeepers in Kosovo if needed.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

NATO's secretary general says more peacekeepers will be moved to Kosovo if tensions with neighboring Serbia continue to escalate. That announcement came ahead of a rare face-to-face meeting between Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic today. Ilva Tare is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center and a former broadcaster in her native Albania. And she joins us now. Ilva, welcome.

ILVA TARE: Good morning, Leila. I'm delighted to talk to you.

FADEL: Thank you for being here. Now, the catalyst⁴ for this flare-up, this latest flare-up, was license⁵ plates. Kosovo's president gave ethnic⁶ Serbians in border areas an ultimatum⁷, demanding they turn in their Serb license plates for Kosovo ones, yes? But tensions have been high for some time, right? Can you walk us through where that is?

TARE: Well, as you rightly said, Leila, President - Serbian President Vucic and the Kosovo prime minister, Albin Kurti, were summoned to Brussels to an emergency summit after violence nearly broke out along Kosovo borders 19 days ago. The violence and the incident started after Kurti moved to put in place reciprocal measures, as Kosovo calls it, requiring Serbs living in Kosovo to carry Kosovo IDs and have Kosovo license plates on their cars. This is the practice that has been doing - that has been happening for Kosovo people for the last 15 years. So the tense situation led Mr. Kurti, under pressure from Western embassies, namely EU and U.S., to agree to postpone⁸ implementing⁹ the measures until September 1. So now they are in Brussels to try to work out a compromise so that things stay calm next month and even further. It is a very important meeting. I saw that, apart from the special representative, Lajcak, Deputy Assistant Secretary Escobar, who oversees¹⁰ Western Balkans, was present there, which shows the importance of the meeting and also the togetherness of the U.S. and EU in addressing such tension, situation in the Balkans.

FADEL: What do you expect to come out of this meeting?

TARE: My sources tell me that both sides are going into the meeting quite hostile. Differences are huge. We have to be hopeful. But most likely, there may be - difficult to have progress or an outcome. But still, this is important because, you know, it's not only about peace and stability at a time of crisis in Europe...

FADEL: Right. Yeah.

TARE: ...Which hangs in the balance. But is also, Europe's own credibility as a peacemaker is on the line. And also, considering the destabilizing influence that Russia has in the region, this is an important message to send to Russia and to its ally in the region - Serbia, namely. I just want to bring here what American ambassador Chris Hill has said lately about the position of Serbia. Despite Russia's influence on Serbia's energy sector¹¹ and despite its pervasive¹² disinformation efforts, Serbs have decided¹³ their future, and that is Europe and the West. So probably now the EU should do best to pressure and to make sure that Serbia is on the EU side, and the whole region has more faster progression towards EU integration¹⁴.

FADEL: That's Ilva Tare, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center. Thank you so much.

(SOUNDBITE OF TOR'S "LUX")

1 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 tare   

n.皮重；v.量皮重

参考例句：

• Please tell me the cargo the tare and the size?请告诉我货物的包装重量和尺寸？
• Weight includes tare weight and net weight.重量包括皮重与净重。

4 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 ultimatum   

n.最后通牒

参考例句：

• This time the proposal was couched as an ultimatum.这一次该提议是以最后通牒的形式提出来的。
• The cabinet met today to discuss how to respond to the ultimatum.内阁今天开会商量如何应对这道最后通牒。

8 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

9 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

10 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。