2006年VOA标准英语-Rice: Western Powers to Wait Before Pressi

By VOA News
10 May 2006

 
Condoleezza Rice  
  
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the United States will pause in its drive for U.N. Security Council action against Iran. The break would allow European negotiators to prepare new incentives¹ aimed at persuading Iran to halt uranium enrichment.

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U.S. officials had earlier spoken of the likelihood of getting a U.N. Security Council resolution as early as this week demanding that Iran halt enrichment and return to nuclear negotiations².

But with Russia and China resisting Security Council action, the Bush administration is giving its blessing³ to a new attempt by Britain, France and Germany to get Iran to change its nuclear course with a fresh package of incentives.

Secretary of State Rice, who discussed the Iranian issue with foreign ministers of major world powers in New York earlier this week, made the rounds of television network morning shows Wednesday to signal U.S. support for the new overture⁴ by the so-called EU-Three.

Rice insisted there would eventually be strong action against Iran in the Security Council, but she said on the ABC network's Good Morning America program the United States is willing to allow time for the European effort:

"We will continue to seek a Security Council resolution, but that we would wait for a couple of weeks while the Europeans design an offer to the Iranians that would make clear that they have a choice that would allow them to have a civil nuclear program, if that is indeed what they want," said Rice.

Iran, after more than two years of negotiations with the Europeans, last August formally turned down an offer of economic and other incentives for it to halt sensitive nuclear activities, and accept outside enrichment of fuel for its civil nuclear program.

The Bush administration had backed that offer with incentives of its own, including ending U.S. opposition⁵ to Iran's application for membership in the World Trade Organization.

The United States, which insists Iran has a covert⁶ nuclear weapons program, has been pressing for a binding⁷ Security Council resolution against Iran under Chapter Seven of the U.N. Charter.

But the effort was stalled this week by Russia and China, who say they fear such a resolution could be a prelude⁸ to sanctions and possible military action.

In her television appearances, Secretary Rice again said the letter to President Bush this week by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not a serious attempt to address issues between Iran and the West.

The Bush administration and Rice in particular have come under criticism from Iranian officials and others for dismissing the letter, described by U.S. officials as a collection of musings and observations by the Iranian leader.

Rice told the NBC Today Show the letter had no useful ideas on the nuclear issue:

"That's not a serious diplomatic overture to say that by the way your liberal democratic system is cratering⁹. It really was kind of a philosophical¹⁰ and indeed religious attack on U.S. policy," she said. "So there was nothing in it that suggested a way out of the nuclear stalemate."

Rice said that had the Ahmadinejad letter been a serious diplomatic overture, the U.S. response would have been quite different. But in her words, "we can't play a pretend game."

1 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 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。

3 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

4 overture   

n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉

参考例句：

• The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
• His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

7 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

8 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

9 cratering   

n.缩孔（露底），陷穴（漆病），磨顶槽v.火山口( crater的现在分词 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• In addition, cratering and ground shock phenomena are observed, as will be described in Chapter VI. 此外，还可以观察到巨坑或地面冲击波的现象，这些现象将在第六章中加以叙述。 来自辞典例句
• Check the page without pinhole, bubble cratering and fix it. 查抄版背有无针孔、气泡等弊病，并举动补缀。 来自互联网

10 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。