2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Plans Key Meetings on Sidelines of UN Meet

By Scott Stearns
White House
22 September 2007

President Bush goes to New York on Monday for several days of high-level meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly debate. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush will discuss efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and to end violence in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.

The president's meetings on Monday will focus on the Middle East. He is scheduled to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

He then meets with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is now representing the so-called Middle East Quartet, which includes the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

Mr. Bush also meets with the President of Brazil and attends a dinner at U.N. headquarters focusing on climate change.

Tuesday morning, President Bush meets with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon before addressing the General Assembly. White House officials say those remarks will focus on efforts to increase U.N. involvement in bringing peace to Iraq.

Speaking to reporters at the White House this past week, Mr. Bush acknowledged that the pace of political progress in Baghdad has been slower than expected. When he announced plans to send reinforcements to Iraq earlier this year, one of his goals was to have Iraqis in charge of security in all 18 provinces by November.

U.S. military officials say that will not happen until next July, at the earliest.

While the timing¹ has changed, Mr. Bush says his determination has not.

"The goals are the same," he said.  "And have we achieved them as fast? No, we haven't. But, however, having not achieved them doesn't mean we ought to quit."

President Bush meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki following his General Assembly speech. He will take part in a roundtable on democracy before attending a Security Council meeting on Africa that is expected to focus on a joint² U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur.

While in New York, White House officials say, there are no plans for President Bush to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who Mr. Bush says is secretly developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is meant only to generate electricity.

Mr. Bush again told White House reporters he never rules out the possible use of force against Iran, but believes it is still possible to resolve the dispute diplomatically.

"And to this end, we are working with allies and friends to send a consistent message to the Iranians that there is a better way forward for them than isolation³, financial isolation, and/or economic sanctions," he added.

A ministerial-level meeting of the five permanent U.N. Security Council member countries plus Germany on Friday is expected to focus on a new sanctions resolution against Iran.

President Ahmadinejad's visit to New York includes a speech at Columbia University and a video news conference with reporters in Washington. But it will not include a visit to the site of the World Trade Center, destroyed in the terrorist attacks of 2001.

New York City police blocked that visit. President Bush says he understands why.

"I can understand why they would not want somebody running a country who is a state-sponsor of terror down there at the site," said Mr. Bush.

In an interview with an American television network before his arrival in New York, President Ahmadinejad said Iran does not sponsor terrorists and condemns⁴ violence against civilians⁵.

President Bush concludes his time in New York Wednesday with a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

1 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

2 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。

3 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。

4 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。