2006年VOA标准英语-US-Libyan Relations Warm as Tripoli Drops from

By Bill Rodgers
Washington
29 June 2006
 
Watch Libya Report

The United States is expected to officially remove Libya from its list of nations that sponsor terrorism soon. It's the latest step by the Bush administration to foster closer ties with Tripoli following its decision to end its weapons of mass destruction program. Even though thorny¹ issues remain, the Bush administration hopes the Libyan example will be followed by other rogue² states.

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Pan Am Flight 103  
  
Libya has taken responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people. It also has scrapped³ its weapons of mass destruction program, sending crates⁴ of nuclear weapons equipment to the United States for disposal. These two moves - along with other actions - have thawed⁵ once-adversarial relations between the United States and Libya.  

At a conference in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State David Welch underscored the changed relationship - and held out Libya as an example for other countries to follow.

"When countries decide to follow international norms of behavior we can in turn can change our isolation⁶ of them, offering a chance to reap concrete benefits,” he said. “I think many people see what we've been able to do with Libya can be used to encourage changes in policy by other countries such as Iran and North Korea."

 
Muammar Gaddafi 
  
Libya's Muammar Gaddafi had long been a nemesis⁷ of the United States. His regime was declared a state-sponsor of terrorism in 1979. In 1986, American jet fighters bombed targets in Libya, including his tent compound, following a suspected Libyan bombing of a German nightclub frequented by U.S. servicemen. The Libyan leader's adopted daughter was among the fatalities⁸.   

Eager to end his isolation, Colonel Gaddafi in December of 2003 swore off terrorism and unveiled plans to dismantle⁹ his country's weapons of mass destruction - an announcement that, coincidentally or not, came after the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the capture of Saddam Hussein. President Bush welcomed the move and promised a new chapter in U.S.-Libyan relations. 

"As the Libyan government takes these essential steps and demonstrates its seriousness, its good faith will be returned,” Bush said. “Libya can regain¹⁰ a secure and respected place among nations and over time achieve far better relations with the United States."

And relations have improved. U.S. congressmen have visited Libya and met with Colonel Gaddafi.  U.S. businesses are eager to invest in Libya, especially in its extensive oil industry, following the lifting of a U.S. trade embargo¹¹ and other economic sanctions. 

 
Reuel Gerecht 
  
Will Iran follow the example of Libya and give up its nuclear ambitions in return for the promise of improved relations with Washington? Not likely, says Reuel Gerecht of the American Enterprise Institute.

“I don't think it is very realistic because I think the Iranians feel vastly more muscular than the regime of Muammar Ghaddafi did after the invasion of Iraq,” he said.

Even though relations are improving, some differences remain with a country where one man has absolute rule. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch says the United States will press Tripoli on human rights and other issues. At the recent Washington conference where he spoke¹², partly sponsored by the U.S. Libya Business Association, Libyan representative Ali Aujali made it clear that Tripoli views human rights differently.

David Welch   
  
"The human rights issue is our choice, also," he said. "It is a culture, it is education, you have to educate the people what is their rights, also. But at the same time, not all of a sudden, that you can apply the American and Western criteria¹³ to the countries of Africa and Asia. Time is necessary."

Compensation to the families of the Pan Am bombing victims is another sticking point. Libya says it no longer has a legal obligation to make the final payments.  State Department Spokesman Adam Ereli urged Libya this week to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, some in Congress want to forbid issuing diplomatic credentials to the Libyan government unless it pays full restitution in the Pan Am case - a potential stumbling block in a relationship that otherwise is clearly warming

1 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

2 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

3 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

4 crates   

n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱

参考例句：

• We were using crates as seats. 我们用大木箱作为座位。
• Thousands of crates compacted in a warehouse. 数以千计的板条箱堆放在仓库里。

5 thawed   

解冻

参考例句：

• The little girl's smile thawed the angry old man. 小姑娘的微笑使发怒的老头缓和下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He thawed after sitting at a fire for a while. 在火堆旁坐了一会儿，他觉得暖和起来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 nemesis   

n.给以报应者，复仇者，难以对付的敌手

参考例句：

• Uncritical trust is my nemesis.盲目的相信一切害了我自己。
• Inward suffering is the worst of Nemesis.内心的痛苦是最厉害的惩罚。

8 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

10 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

11 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。