2006年VOA标准英语-UN Secretary-General Says Iran Serious About Ne

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
22 June 2006
 
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he believes Iran is prepared to engage in serious negotiations¹ regarding its controversial nuclear program. The secretary-general met with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

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Kofi Annan smiles as he listens to a question, during  press conference in Geneva, June 22, 2006
  
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan calls his talk with the Iranian foreign minister very useful. He says he believes Iran is seriously considering the offer of negotiations on its nuclear plans made by the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany.

The United States and European Union accuse Iran of wanting to develop nuclear weapons. Teheran denies this, and says its nuclear program is purely² for peaceful purposes.

The secretary-general says he told the foreign minister it was up to Iran to convince the world of this by fully³ cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency. He says the minister told him his country will come to the negotiating table, without pre-conditions, and that everything can be discussed at the table.

"That I presume includes the question of [uranium] enrichment, and they are considering the package very, very seriously, and, I think we have all heard the comments they have made, and I do believe they are considering it seriously," he said. "On the question of the U.S. involvement, I think we saw a major shift in U.S. policy when it indicated that it would be prepared to join the talks, once the issue of the enrichment, or suspension thereof, was resolved."

Mr. Annan says he hopes the United States will join the Iran nuclear talks. He says he asked Iran for a quick response to the offer of negotiations, but does not expect one until after the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg early next month. 
 

Kofi Annan, right, shakes hands with Manouchehr Mottaki, June 22, 2006 in Geneva  
  
Iran's president says his country will not make a decision until August.

On another matter, Secretary General Annan says the United Nations is watching the situation in Sudan's Darfur region very closely. He says the peace agreement remains⁴ very tenuous⁵ and incomplete, since two of the rebel movements have not accepted it.

He says he strongly believes a United Nations peacekeeping force will be needed to help the parties implement⁶ the peace agreement, and help provide security for the internally displaced.

"Although we have not yet got agreement from the Sudanese authorities, and I think you all heard President Bashir's statement rejecting a U.N. force," added Mr. Annan. "But let me say that the talks continue, and I hope, ultimately, we will be able to convince them to accept a U.N. force. No one, and least of all the U.N., is interested in imposing⁷ anything like a colonial rule on one of its member states, and, of course, that was one of the fears President Bashir used in rejecting the U.N. presence."

Several-thousand poorly equipped, under-financed troops from the African Union are guarding the peace in Darfur. Secretary General Annan says the AU peacekeepers need to be strengthened. He says, he hopes a pledging conference in Brussels next month will provide the necessary support for the AU troops on the ground in Darfur

1 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。

2 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 tenuous   

adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的

参考例句：

• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.他对现实认识很肤浅。
• The air ten miles above the earth is very tenuous.距离地面十公里的空气十分稀薄。

6 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

7 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。