VOA标准英语2008年-Rice Beginning New Round of Middle East Talks

By David Gollust
London
03 May 2008

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flies from London to Jerusalem Saturday for a new round of talks aimed at getting an Israel-Palestinian peace accord by year's end. Rice will lay the groundwork for President Bush's visit to the region later this month. VOA's David Gollust reports from London.

The secretary's two-day London visit also had a heavy Middle East focus, with Rice meeting privately¹ with key Israeli and Palestinian officials and convening² with financial supporters of the peace process and the Quartet.

The Quartet - made up of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - reaffirmed international backing for the goal set at last November's Annapolis conference for a peace accord by the end of 2008.

But the grouping expressed deep concern about, among other things, continuing Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza into southern Israel.

Despite the difficulties, Rice said she still thinks the 2008 goal can be achieved, though skepticism about it is understandable.

"It's hard work, and it's labor-intensive, and it's time consuming. But I believe that they do have a chance to get an agreement by the end of the year. And that's what we're going to work for, every day," said Rice.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was less optimistic, citing economic problems in Palestinian areas caused by Israeli roadblocks and a shortfall in the collection of funds pledged last year by international donors³, including Gulf⁴ oil states, in Paris:

"I said that the process was not proceeding⁵ in terms of pace or content in a manner to attain⁶ or achieve the goal that was set out at the Annapolis meeting. So therefore, if things continue to proceed along the path they are, or they have been, it is unlikely that objective is going to be met," said Fayyad.

Rice's trip to Israel and the Palestinian areas is her 15th in two years.

The secretary will meet late Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. On Sunday she will have talks in the West Bank town of Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - as well as hold two trilateral meetings with senior officials of both sides.

Rice will be laying the groundwork for President Bush, who will try to advance the peace process in a visit to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt from May 13 to the 18.

Earlier this week he acknowledged that achieving peace is an uphill task but said he is still hopeful an agreement can be finished by the end of his presidency⁷ in January 2009.

The president will attend observances of Israel's 60th independence anniversary but has no plans at present for a joint⁸ peace summit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

1 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

2 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

3 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

6 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

7 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。

8 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。