VOA常速英语2008年-Bush, Lee Hopeful of North Korea Nuclear Declar

By Scott Stearns
White House
19 April 2008

President Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak say they are still hopeful that North Korea will disclose the details of its nuclear weapons program, as required under a 2007 six-party accord. Pyongyang is more than three months late in disclosing the details of that program. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the U.S. and South Korean leaders met at the presidential retreat at Camp David.

President Lee said the international community needs what he called persistent¹ patience with North Korea, that it will be difficult to convince the reclusive nation to give up its nuclear weapons, but not impossible.

President Lee and President Bush spoke² to reporters at Camp David, reaffirming their commitment to the multi-lateral effort to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Speaking through a translator, President Lee said South Korea, the United States, China, Russia, and Japan are determined³ to reach that goal.

"Both of us reaffirmed once again that under no circumstances would we allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons," he said.  "Also, we agreed to work together closely within the six party talks so that North Korea can fully⁴ and completely give up all their nuclear weapons programs as soon as possible."

As part of the six-party deal, North Korea agreed to provide by last December a full declaration of all its nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment and proliferation. In exchange for giving up its nuclear program, including weapons, Pyongyang is to get economic aid and diplomatic benefits.

But the declaration has not been delivered. President Bush said North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may be stalling for time.

"One thing about a non-transparent society where there is not a lot of free press, for example, or a lot of opposition⁵ voices it is hard to tell what is going on," he said.  "He has made declarations and he is testing the relationship. He is wondering whether or not the five of us will stay unified⁶."

The president is hearing criticism from within his own political party, including from former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, who has accused the administration of capitulating to Pyongyang on what North Korea must disclose.

Mr. Bush said the burden of proof remains⁷ on Pyongyang.

"They've made some promises and we will make a judgment⁸ as to whether they have met those promises," he added.  "And then we and our partners will take a look at North Korea's full declaration to determine whether or not the activities that they promised they could do can be verified, and then we will make a judgment of our own about our own obligations."

President Bush said people should wait and see what North Korea says before judging the deal.  On Sunday, the U.S. is sending a team to North Korea for more talks on the declaration.

At the news conference, President Bush also said Congress should approve a free trade agreement with South Korea this year.  He told Mr. Lee the agreement is a priority for his administration.

1 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

2 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。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 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。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 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。

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。