2006年VOA标准英语-No Agreement on Iran Resolution at UN Secu

By Bill Rodgers
Washington, DC
10 May 2006
 
watch Iran Nuclear report

The permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have so far failed to agree on how to enforce a draft resolution that would call on Iran to stop all uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities in its nuclear program.  The impasse¹ could work in favor of Iran where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears increasingly confident that his government is gaining the upper hand in the nuclear standoff. 

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Since taking office last year, President Ahmadinejad has successfully whipped up nationalist support for his country's nuclear program.   Many Iranians have taken to the streets to express support for the program, which Tehran says is for peaceful civilian² purposes. 

The United States, Britain, and France suspect otherwise.  U.S. President Bush: "The Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon, or the capacity to make a nuclear weapon."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  
  
But Mr. Ahmadinejad shows no sign of bowing to international pressure.  One reason for this may be that Iran is counting on Russia and China to oppose any moves at the U.N. to impose sanctions.

Another reason may be that Mr. Ahmadinejad believes the current world situation favors Iran and undermines international unity³ on the nuclear issue, according to John Calabrese of the Middle East Institute. 

 
John Calabrese
  
"It is a moment when oil prices are very high and Iran's national coffers are overflowing⁴ with it, when sensitivity in terms of oil prices having spiked⁵ and energy security concerns are universally at the top of the policy agenda," he said.  "It is a time when the relations between the United States and Russia on a variety of different issues are somewhat more fractious or divisive than they might have been at the outset."

And Calabrese adds Iran believes the U.S. has its hands full in Iraq. "So it seems to me timing⁶ is everything and the Iranian side, looking at the international and regional landscape, and its own position vis-a-vis the United States, may have decided⁷ this is the time to push the issue."

Iran's vast oil wealth enables the Ahmadinejad government to defy international pressure.  However, at the same time, Iran's inefficient⁸ state-run economy could be vulnerable to international sanctions, says James Phillips of the Heritage Foundation.

 
James Phillips, Heritage Foundation
  
"The Iranian economy is the regime's Achilles heel because even though with the high price of oil it is raking in a lot of oil revenues, it is not wisely using those revenues," he said.  "It has a very creaky and corrupt⁹ economic system and young Iranians do not have much of an economic future given the economic system there."  

In New York, foreign ministers of the permanent members of the Security Council have failed to agree on the wording of an Iran resolution.  

Margaret Beckett  
  
The disagreement is not over whether Iran should have a nuclear weapon, but rather what is the best way to prevent that  - said Britain's new Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett. "No one wants to apply sanctions if it is not necessary but what everybody wants is to get Iran to recognize that the international community is serious in its insistence¹⁰ that we cannot continue with the assumption that Iran can just continue to flout¹¹ the will of the international community in this way," she said.

President Ahmadinejad, who traveled to Indonesia Tuesday, appeared unconcerned.  He shrugged¹² off the White House dismissal of his letter to President Bush as containing no new proposals. 

"Islamic behavior does not allow us to publicize the content of the letter," he said.  "We will wait for reaction and behavior of the addressees of the letter and then we will make decisions.  Fortunately we can make decisions any time we want."

Meanwhile, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, who is in Greece, says there is still time to reach a diplomatic solution to the standoff.  Ali Larijani told reporters the issue should be resolved through the International Atomic Energy Agency, not the U.N. Security Council.  At the Security Council, diplomats¹³ say agreement over a resolution on Iran is not expected any time soon. 

1 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。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

5 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 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。

8 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

9 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

10 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

11 flout   

v./n.嘲弄，愚弄，轻视

参考例句：

• Parents who flout Family Court orders may be named in the media in Australia.在澳洲父母亲若是藐视家庭法庭的裁定可能在媒体上被公布姓名。
• The foolish boy flouted his mother's advice.这个愚蠢的孩子轻视他母亲的劝告。

12 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》