2007年VOA标准英语-Georgia Accuses Russia of New Airspace Violatio

By Suzanne Presto¹
United Nations
23 August 2007

Georgian U.N. Ambassador Irakli Alasania is accusing Russia of new airspace violations². Georgia is already pursuing investigations³ into an alleged⁴ incursion and missile launch earlier this month. From VOA's United Nation's bureau, Suzanne Presto reports.

 

Ambassador Irakli Alasania

Ambassador Alasania says Russia committed two new violations of Georgian airspace on Tuesday near the pro-Russian breakaway Abkhazia region. Alasania says Georgia's foreign affairs ministry⁵ is demanding an explanation from its Russian counterpart.

Russian news agencies quote a Russian military officer as denying the claim.

Georgia alleges⁶ that Russia has repeatedly violated its airspace. Georgian officials say on August 6th, Russia launched a missile that landed five kilometers from a Georgian radar⁷ site, but did not explode. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin has accused Georgia of fabricating the incident.

Alasania says Georgian experts held bilateral⁸ consultations⁹ with a team of Russian experts in Tbilisi. But he says the Russian delegates were not cooperative.

"Given the Russian refusal to acknowledge even the most basic facts surrounding the incident, Georgia felt that further consultations with Russia would prove pointless," he said. "We wish this were not the case."

 

remains10 of the rocket near Tsitelubani, South Ossetia, Georgia, 07 Aug. 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070831/1056161.jpg" width="211" vspace="2" border="0" />

Georgian specialists examine the remains of the rocket near Tsitelubani, South Ossetia, Georgia, 07 Aug. 2007

Alasania says two international teams of experts have confirmed that at least one aircraft violated Georgian airspace from the Russian side and launched a missile on August 6th. Alasania said this latest team of experts included delegates from the United Kingdom, Estonia and Poland.

"Russia, meanwhile, has been unable to provide any evidence that may in any way contradict the conclusions of the independent international experts," he said. "Russia's only defense¹¹ has been to cast doubt without any basis whatsoever¹² on the competence¹³ of and impartiality¹⁴ of the expert groups that I mentioned."

Alasania dismissed claims made Tuesday by Russian Ambassador Churkin that Georgia planted evidence. Churkin alleged that missile fragments were not even Russian, and that Georgia suspiciously destroyed the missile.

Alasania confirms that two devices found at the missile site were not typical of Soviet¹⁵ missiles. But he says Georgian experts believe the two western-produced chips were incorporated into a Russian missile so that missile could be used against Georgian radar systems, which are of Soviet origin.

Alasania adds that experts destroyed the missile because the unexploded warhead posed a threat to investigators¹⁶. He said this is standard operating procedure, and adds that the missile was fully¹⁷ photo-documented first. He said much of the missile remains.

"We have over 2,500 parts of the missile, which is totally enough to identify the missile and track them back in Russia. So the claims yesterday made here is totally groundless," said Alasania.

Russia's ambassador has suggested that the missile is from a former-Soviet stockpile and was planted by Georgia. Alasania dismissed that claim, saying the missile's manufacture date is October 1992, making it Russian and not Soviet.

1 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

2 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

7 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

8 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

9 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 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。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

13 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

14 impartiality   

n. 公平, 无私, 不偏

参考例句：

• He shows impartiality and detachment. 他表现得不偏不倚，超然事外。
• Impartiality is essential to a judge. 公平是当法官所必需的。

15 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。

16 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。