VOA标准英语2009年-ASEAN Marks First Anniversary of Chart

Leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations are marking the first anniversary of grouping's constitution, known as the ASEAN Charter.

Sara Schonhardt | Jakarta 16 December 2009

Musa Hitam delivers lecture at ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (file photo)

"Can you imagine an organization starting without any rules and regulations, yet surviving for 40 years?" asks Malaysian diplomat¹ Musa Hitam.

Leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations are marking the first anniversary of grouping's constitution, known as the ASEAN Charter.

Created four decades ago as an economic grouping, ASEAN ratified² its charter last December in an effort to expand its influence in Asian and global affairs. Much of the past year has been spent choosing representatives and establishing committees, such as the human rights body, controversial for its inability to pose sanctions against members like Burma.

At a forum³ in Jakarta Wednesday to mark the charter's anniversary, Musa Hitam, a diplomat from Malaysia who helped draft the charter, said its accomplishments⁴ have been monumental.

"Can you imagine an organization starting without any rules and regulations, yet surviving for 40 years? If you look at it in that context, you will then appreciate that the process of regional integration⁵ is the most challenging in the modern history of the world," Musa said.

The charter creates three communities to deal with the economy, politics and security, and culture and society.

ASEAN diplomats⁶ say the goal of achieving a single market is on track, with the signing of free-trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand and talks under way on agreements with China, India and South Korea.

The ambassadors at Wednesday's forum spoke⁷ about the need for better regional understanding through educational exchanges, interfaith dialogue and agreements to ease cross-border movements.

But integrating 10 nations with different cultures, religions and political systems provides huge challenges, particularly since ASEAN members avoid interfering⁸ in each other's affairs.

This has been a particularly troubling issue as other ASEAN members try to coax⁹ Burma, also called Myanmar, to allow greater political and economic freedom.

Rosario Gonzales Manalo is the Philippines ASEAN ambassador.

"We don't interfere¹⁰ in internal affairs but that does not mean that our foreign ministers and heads of states are not quietly persuading, talking dialoging with the authorities of Myanmar," Gonzales Manalo said. "And they won't come out and tell you hallelujah we talked with Myanmar and this is what's going to be done. They would never do that in ASEAN."

Some critics say the charter fails to resolve issues of how members handle diplomatic squabbles and old political tensions. But the ambassadors gathered Wednesday said ASEAN has delivered, it has attracted international attention, even under the shadow of its goliath neighbors, China and India. And the charter ensures its future.

 

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

9 coax   

v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取

参考例句：

• I had to coax the information out of him.我得用好话套出他掌握的情况。
• He tried to coax the secret from me.他试图哄骗我说出秘方。

10 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。