VOA常速英语2008年-Russia Continues Drive for WTO Membership

By Andre de Nesnera
Washington
13 March 2008

The Geneva-based World Trade Organization, WTO, recently accepted Ukraine as a new member. This leaves Iran and Russia as the two largest countries outside the WTO. In this report from Washington, VOA Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera looks at Moscow's membership bid.

The World Trade Organization, WTO, is the agency overseeing the rules of international trade. It was founded in 1995, replacing an organization known as the General Agreement on Tariffs² and Trade (GATT).

David Hartridge is a former official at the WTO.  He says in addition to providing the legal framework for the conduct of almost all world trade, the WTO plays another very important role.

"It provides an extremely efficient disputes settlement system in which disagreements which arise between governments - and they very often do because trade is a difficult and contentious³ area - they provide a means by which these differences can be settled peacefully, legally, without resort to big power politics," he noted⁴.  "So it's extremely valuable to the world that we can settle even the most difficult disputes between governments about trade without resort to retaliation⁵ and other measures that merely damage everybody."

Hartridge says to become a WTO member, a country has to accept a whole series of agreements. They include a ceiling on tariff¹ levels governments can impose on various goods and another dealing⁶ with the protection of intellectual property.  A country also has to change many of its economic and trade laws to make them conform to international standards.

That is why, experts say, it took Ukraine more than 14 years of negotiations⁷ before it became the latest member of the World Trade Organization.

Russia began its membership drive at the same time as Ukraine, but Hartridge says there are still a number of stumbling blocs⁸ to Russia's accession.

"One of the main ones which I thinks is still outstanding is Russian agricultural policy, the system of subsidies⁹ to agricultural production," he explained.  "Another major problem still outstanding is the system for the protection of intellectual property rights.  That's a special concern of the U.S.A. which wants to be sure that intellectual property rights will be properly protected in Russia before it accedes¹⁰."

Experts say relations between Russia and Ukraine are not good.  Over the years Moscow has tried to use its economic leverage¹¹ on Kyiv, briefly¹² cutting off gas supplies in a pricing dispute.  And in 2004, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to influence the outcome of Ukraine's presidential elections.  But despite the bad relations, Ukraine has indicated it will not block Russia's membership bid to the World Trade Organization.

David Marples from the University of Alberta says it is not in Ukraine's interest to thwart¹³ Moscow's drive.

"Because if they were both members, the key areas of dispute right now which are mainly exports of gas and oil from Russia to Ukraine and pipelines¹⁴ through Ukraine to Europe, could be resolved within the administrative¹⁵ structures of the WTO, rather than bilaterally," he said.

Adrian Sliwotzky, a Ukraine expert at the Oliver Weiman consulting firm, agrees.

"Russian entry into the WTO will cause both countries, Russia and Ukraine, to be subject to many of the regulatory mechanisms¹⁶ and dispute resolution mechanisms which I think will be a plus for both countries," he noted.  "There is very, very significant trade between the two countries and I think with the addition of those much more objective mechanisms for regulating relationships in trade, there are very good chances that trade will not only grow, but intensify¹⁷ as both have to play by a common set of rules that have been developed and well tested over time."

Russian entry into the World Trade Organization has been one of the main goals of Vladimir Putin's eight-year presidency¹⁸.  However, Mr. Putin leaves office in May without having achieved that objective.  It is now up to his successor Dmitri Medvedev to make sure all the remaining issues are resolved allowing Russia to join the world body in the very near future.

1 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 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

9 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 accedes   

v.（正式）加入( accede的第三人称单数 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职

参考例句：

• Successive without the first ordinal heir, by the 2nd order heir accedes. 没有第一顺序继续人继续的，由第二顺序继续人继续。 来自互联网
• Deng Xiaoping accedes and developed Mao Zedong this one thought. 邓小平则继承和发展了毛泽东这一思想。 来自互联网

11 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

12 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

13 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

14 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

15 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

16 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

18 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。