2006年VOA标准英语-Blair Launches Mideast Peace Mission

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
10 September 2006
 

joint1 news conference at the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem" src="/upimg/allimg/070418/1453150.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, right, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are seen during a joint news conference at the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem

Mr. Blair opened his visit in Jerusalem, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. At a joint news conference, the British Prime Minister said they discussed shoring up the fragile cease-fire in Lebanon and reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

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"The majority of people here, I'm sure, want to see what the majority of people in my country want to see, which is a Middle East that is stable, and democratic, with people living side by side in peace. It is very easy to be pessimistic in the light of everything that has happened recently, but I do believe that with good will and the right leadership it can be done," he said.

Mr. Blair also plans to visit the West Bank for talks with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Israeli Prime Minister said he is ready to hold his first summit with Mr. Abbas to discuss the internationally-backed "road map" peace plan. "I remain dedicated² to advancing to the political process with the Palestinians according to the road map, starting with implementation³ of the first phase which calls for the dismantling⁴ of the terrorist organizations and their infrastructure," he said.

But Mr. Olmert said there could be no progress until the crisis over a kidnapped Israeli soldier is resolved. The 19-year-old corporal was captured by militants⁵ from the ruling Hamas movement more than two months ago, and is being held in the Gaza Strip. "The issue that is our first priority with the Palestinians, naturally, is the immediate⁶ release of Corporal Gilad Shalit," he added.

The two leaders also discussed Iran and vowed⁷ to prevent that country from acquiring a nuclear bomb. "Our position remains⁸ as it's been throughout, which is to make sure that the will of the international community, in respect of Iran's nuclear weapons aspirations⁹, is properly adhered to," he said.

Israel has grown increasingly alarmed about Iran's nuclear program since last October, when the Iranian president threatened to wipe the Jewish state "off the map."

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

4 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

8 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。

9 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。