VOA常速英语2008年-US Pleased With OAS Resolution on Colombia-Ecua

By David Gollust
State Department
06 March 2008

The United State Thursday welcomed the Organization of American States' resolution on the Colombia-Ecuador crisis, which calls for an OAS commission to investigate the matter. U.S. officials say efforts by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to exploit the situation have no support in the region. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The Bush administration has strongly backed Colombia in its struggle with leftwing FARC rebels, and officials here are pleased the OAS resolution fell short of an outright¹ condemnation² of Colombia for its cross-border raid last Saturday on a FARC encampment in Ecuador.

Instead of the condemnation sought by Ecuador and its political ally Venezuela, the OAS termed the raid a violation³ of Ecuador's sovereignty and instructed OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza to lead a fact-finding commission on the issue.

Both Ecuador and Venezuela say they have moved troops to their borders with Colombia in the wake of the Colombian raid, which killed a top FARC commander.

At a NATO news conference in Brussels Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stressed support for a diplomatic resolution of the crisis, and U.S. sympathy for Colombia in its 20-year conflict with the FARC.

"I do hope that there will be a diplomatic outcome to this," said Rice. "But of course it shows that everyone needs to be vigilant⁴ about the use of border areas by terrorist organizations like FARC. The U.N. and others have talked about the importance of being vigilant on these sorts of issues."

"And so the FARC is a terrorist organization and it's extremely important that they not be able to continue their efforts, which have led to the loss of life of many, many, innocent Colombians," she added.

In comments here, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said the United States was pleased to join the OAS consensus⁶ for the fact-finding mission by Mr. Insulza, a former Chilean foreign minister.

Casey said he hopes it leads to arrangements among governments in the region to deal with groups like the FARC, for which he said there is universal rejection⁷ except by Venezuela.

"I think most of us, including I think most countries in the region, are puzzled by the insistence⁸ on Venezuela's part in trying to insert itself into an issue that frankly⁹ doesn't really concern them," he said. "The only issue that should concern them is the possibility, and the probability, that the FARC has also used Venezuelan territory, or Venezuelan resources to conduct their operations against Colombia and Comlombian citizens."

A senior U.S. official who spoke⁵ to reporters here said there is absolutely zero support in the OAS for Mr. Chavez' behavior in the affair including his dispatch of Venezuelan troops to the Colombian border.

Colombian officials say the cross border raid yielded computer documents showing large-scale financial support for the FARC by the Venezuelan president.

It has prompted a call from Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ross-Lehtinen for the Bush administration to consider listing Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism, though spokesman Casey said it is premature¹⁰ to consider such action.

Casey said the Colombia-Ecuador crisis figures to be a major issue in a trip to Brazil and Chile next week by Secretary of State Rice. The trip has been long-planned but only announced by the State Department on Thursday.

1 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

2 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

3 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

4 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

5 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。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

8 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

9 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

10 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。