2007年VOA标准英语-Tensions Mount Over Forces in Europe

By André de Nesnera
Washington, D.C.
08 June 2007

A meeting bringing together the 30 signatories of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty begins in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday, June 12.  The special session was called by Russia, which has announced that it will stop complying with the provisions of the pact¹.

The Conventional Forces in Europe, or CFE, Treaty was signed in November 1990 between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, and the Warsaw Pact -- the east and central European military alliance led by the Soviet² Union.

Treaty Provisions

The CFE pact set limits on the number of combat aircraft, attack helicopters, heavy artillery³, battle tanks and divisions that could be deployed⁴ between the Atlantic Ocean and Russia's Ural mountains.

Robert Hunter, former U.S. ambassador to NATO in the Clinton administration, says the treaty's main goal was to reduce the Warsaw Pact's overwhelming superiority in conventional weapons.

"The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty is a legacy⁵ of the Cold War. It was originally negotiated in order to make the conventional force balance between NATO and the Warsaw Pact more transparent⁶ and more predictable, to reduce the chances of conflict -- not so much by design as by accident -- and also to enable countries to reduce the overall level of expenditure⁷ in what was becoming an outmoded confrontation⁸ which fortunately eventually came to an end,” says Hunter. “It limited certain kinds of equipment, particularly the expensive, heavy stuff like artillery and tanks, and also said that if forces would move from place 'X' to place 'Y', notice had to be given to the others."

Progress Stalled

But in July 1991, less than a year after the treaty was signed, the Warsaw Pact collapsed⁹.  And in December of that year, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

Wade¹⁰ Boese, from the Arms Control Association, a private research firm, says the CFE treaty was suddenly outdated¹¹. "So in 1999, the state parties got together and said this treaty was still a worthwhile thing, 'Let's revise it to reflect current reality.' So essentially¹², what they did was they shifted the treaty from one that would focus on balancing the two blocs¹⁴ to one that imposed national limits on each of the state parties. So this is what is referred to as the 'adapted treaty.' So there is a transition from bloc¹³ limits to national limits," says Boese.

The treaty cannot enter into force until all the current 30 states sign and ratify¹⁵ the revised agreement.  Boese says to date, only four have done so -- Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.

"The NATO countries, the NATO members who are participants in the treaty, are withholding¹⁶ ratification¹⁷ until Russia fulfills¹⁸ some commitments that it made in 1999 to withdraw its military forces from Georgia and Moldova, which it has not done," says Boese. “Russia is making progress on the Georgian withdrawal¹⁹.  It is supposed to close its last two remaining bases by the end of 2008.  But there has been really little progress in Moldova since 2004.  And at this time, approximately 1,300 Russian troops still remain in Transnistria.  And that is a point of contention²⁰."

But experts such as Robert Legvold from Columbia University in New York City say Moscow rejects NATO's view. "The Russians maintain that that is not a formal linkage²¹ and therefore the issue of the materiel and men in Transnistria and what remains²² in Georgia should not be a holdup for the ratification of the CFE," says Legvold.

U.S. - Russia Tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin

To show his displeasure with NATO's stance, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in April a moratorium²³ on compliance²⁴ with the pact.  And he called for a special meeting of the CFE signatory parties -- a session that will begin Tuesday.

“I should point out that the moratorium was not immediate²⁵ and has yet to take effect.  The Russians are still implementing²⁶ the CFE treaty today.   What Putin said was that we would institute a moratorium if talks with NATO countries do not prove productive." says Wade Boese from the Arms Control Association.

Experts say President Putin's threat has heightened tensions between Russia and the United States that are already running high over a series of issues.  These include Washington's withdrawal from the 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty, the plan to extend anti-missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic, and the use by NATO of bases in Bulgaria and Romania.

Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Robert Hunter says the Russians see these measures as further proof that NATO is moving into territories Moscow used to claim as its own.

"And I must say the Russians are not entirely²⁷ without merit.  Ten years ago, almost exactly, on May the 27th, Russia and NATO signed a thing called 'The NATO-Russia Founding Act.'  And in that, NATO did have certain unilateral restrictions²⁸ it placed on itself. It said, for example, that it would not engage in 'additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces in central Europe,'" says Hunter. "Now the Russians would say that NATO-U.S. plans to put forces in Bulgaria and Romania violate that.  Reasonable people can disagree.  But in effect, this is Putin saying, 'I'm back, I'm standing²⁹ tall; pay attention to me.'"

Tensions between Washington and Moscow overshadowed the just completed G-8 summit in Germany.

Experts do not expect any major breakthroughs in the near future.  But they say it is a good sign that presidents Bush and Putin will meet one-on-one in early July in Kennebunkport, Maine -- at the estate of Mr. Bush's father -- to try to resolve key differences.

1 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

7 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

8 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

10 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

11 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

12 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

13 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

14 blocs   

n.集团，联盟( bloc的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The division of Europe into warring blocs produces ever-increasing centrifugal stress. 把欧洲分为作战集团产生了越来越大的离心效果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policy of the two blocs was played out. 把世界分为两个集团的政策已经过时了。 来自辞典例句

15 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

16 withholding   

扣缴税款

参考例句：

• She was accused of withholding information from the police. 她被指控对警方知情不报。
• The judge suspected the witness was withholding information. 法官怀疑见证人在隐瞒情况。

17 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

18 fulfills   

v.履行（诺言等）( fulfill的第三人称单数 )；执行（命令等）；达到（目的）；使结束

参考例句：

• He always fulfills his promises. 他总是履行自己的诺言。 来自辞典例句
• His own work amply fulfills this robust claim. 他自己的作品在很大程度上实现了这一正确主张。 来自辞典例句

19 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

20 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

21 linkage   

n.连接；环节

参考例句：

• In their monographic treatment of linkage,they have emphasized this especially.他们在论连锁的专题文章中特别强调了这点。
• Occasionally,problems with block inheritance or linkage are encountered.有时会遇到区段遗传或连锁问题。

22 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。

23 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

24 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

25 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。

26 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

27 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

28 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

29 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。