2006年VOA标准英语-White House Waiting for 'Formal' Response from

By Paula Wolfson
White House
27 June 2006

The White House says it is still waiting for a definitive¹ response from Iran to a package of incentives³ designed to convince Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment. Officials say the latest comments from Iran's supreme⁴ leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are not the last word.

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Tony Snow   
  
White House Spokesman Tony Snow says the Ayatollah's comments are ambiguous, and should not be seen as a formal reply from Iran.

He says there have been all sorts of statements coming from Tehran since the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, delivered the incentive² package to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Lairjani.

"We have been pretty clear here," he said. "The original set of incentives was transmitted from Javier Solana to Ali Larijani. And we expect Ali Larijani to submit, transmit the response to Javier Solana."

 
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, June 27, 2006  
  
During a session with reporters, Snow acknowledged that Khamenei holds considerable power in Iran. But he stressed that the United States is still waiting for a consistent, official response from Tehran.

"At this point the government of Iran has not spoken with one official voice and I daresay that various people speaking on behalf of the government of Iran have not spoken with a unified⁵ voice," he said.

The Ayatollah said Tuesday that Iran will not engage in negotiations⁶ on its right to use nuclear technology. However, he added if others acknowledge that right, Tehran is willing to negotiate controls, supervisions, and international guarantees.

Iran has said it will respond to the package put forward June 6 by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany by August 22. However, the Bush administration has made clear it wants an answer sooner, and that Iran should reply in a matter of weeks, not months.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is designed to meet energy needs. But the United States and its European allies say they are concerned Tehran's civilian program is really a cover for the development of nuclear arms

1 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

2 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

3 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

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

6 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。