VOA标准英语2010年-Clinton: Time to Move Toward New Iran

David Gollust | The State Department 05 February 2010

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday it is time to move toward new sanctions against Iran, given the lack of a clear response from Tehran to a proposal to ease concern about its nuclear intentions. Senior officials of the six major powers conducting nuclear diplomacy¹ with Tehran held a telephone conference call Friday.

Despite seemingly-conciliatory comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this week,  Clinton says there has still been no definitive² Iranian reply to a compromise nuclear proposal offered last October.

She says it is important now to consider additional sanctions against Iran, and that the United States is reaching out to other major powers on the issue, including China which
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran (File)

Earlier this week, the Iranian President said his government would have "no problem" sending low-enriched uranium abroad if it later received, in exchange, higher-enriched reactor³ fuel.

But U.S. officials say Iran has not followed up with a formal acceptance of a swap⁴ arrangement proposed last October by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Under it, Iran would give up most of its uranium stockpile in return for enriched fuel for a medical reactor.

In a talk with reporters, Clinton said the world community is only getting mixed signals from Tehran and that it is time to pursue additional pressure.

"Sometimes, we see response from a part of the government that is then retracted⁵ from another part of the government.  So I think our position is that we have, in good faith, engaged in diplomacy with the Iranians," Clinton said.  "We've always had a two-track process, and we think it is important that we move now toward looking at what pressure, what sanctions can be brought to bear on the Iranians.  We're going to continue to reach out to all of our colleagues in this effort, including, of course, China." she added.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said this week that talk about sanctions might complicate⁶ diplomatic efforts on the nuclear issue, which he suggested still hold some promise.

A State Department spokesman said China took part in a telephone conference call on Iran Friday of senior diplomats⁷ the five permanent U.N. Security Council member countries and Germany, the P5+1.

The six-power grouping has led international diplomacy with Iran, aimed at easing  widespread concerns that Iran's uranium enrichment drive is weapons related, despite Iranian assertions of peaceful intent.

Spokesman P.J. Crowley said China was a "vigorous participant" in the 90-minute call, which he said covered both diplomacy with Iran, and what he termed "potential actions on the pressure track."

 

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

3 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

4 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

5 retracted   

v.撤回或撤消( retract的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回

参考例句：

• He made a false confession which he later retracted. 他作了假供词，后来又翻供。
• A caddy retracted his statement. 一个球童收回了他的话。 来自辞典例句

6 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

7 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》