VOA慢速英语2015 伊朗核谈判或将超过最后时限（在线收听）

Iran Nuclear Talks May Push Beyond Time Limit 伊朗核谈判或将超过最后时限

From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.

这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。

The United States and Iranian officials meet in Vienna for a final round of talk on Iran’s nuclear program. However, a top U.S. official says negotiators may not reach an agreement by the time limit of June 30.

美国和伊朗官员与会维也纳进行最后一轮伊朗核项目谈判，然而，美国一名高级官员称协商者可能无法在6月30日的最后期限之前达成协议。

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are planning private discussions in the Austrian capital. Others expected to take part in the talks are the “P5 plus one” nations. They are the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany.

美国国务卿约翰·克里和伊朗外长穆罕默德·贾瓦德·扎伊夫计划在奥地利首都进行私人会谈，其他人也可能参加这次会谈的有5+国家，这些国家是联合国安理会常任理事会和德国。

The U.S. official said negotiators remain “committed” to the June 30 deadline but talks may continue beyond that date. The official added that all parties in the talks want to get a good agreement. But Obama administration spokesman, Josh Earnest, said there are no immediate plans to extend the deadline beyond Tuesday.

美国官员称协商者仍致力于在6月30日最后期限期间达成协议，但谈判可能会超过这个时限。官方称会谈各方希望达成良好协议，但奥巴马政府发言人乔希·厄内斯特称眼下没有将最后期限延长到周二之后的计划。

“The negotiations continue to be difficult but there continues to be a good faith effort on both sides to try to complete them in the timetable that we’ve laid out.”

“协商还会比较困难，但我们双方仍有希望在时间表之内完成的诚意。”

Iran reached a framework agreement with the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany on April 2. The agreement would permit inspections of nuclear sites and place limits on Iran’s ability to enrich uranium, which can be used as fuel for a nuclear weapon. In exchange, Iran would receive relief from international sanctions. However, negotiators are still working on details of the plan.

伊朗4月2日与美国、俄罗斯、中国、法国、英国和德国达成了框架协议，协议允许对核地点进行检查，并对伊朗的铀浓缩能力进行限制，这种能力可以用来制作核武器。作为交换，伊朗所受的国际制裁将会减轻。然而，协商者仍在制定计划的细节。

One debated issue in negotiations is when sanctions will be lifted. Iran wants an immediate end to sanctions if an agreement is reached. The restrictions have seriously hurt the county’s economy. Other countries involved in the negotiations want sanctions to be removed in steps over time. They also want a process to verify that Iran is observing the agreement.

协商中一个争论的话题就是何时取消制裁，伊朗希望在达成协议后立即结束制裁，这种限制已经严重损害了该国经济。其他协商国希望以后逐步取消制裁，他们还希望实施一个核实伊朗遵守协议情况的程序。

The two sides also disagree over inspections of suspected nuclear centers. Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran will not permit international inspectors to see military sites, scientists or documents. He spoke Tuesday on state television. He rejected limitations on the countries nuclear research and development lasting 10 to 12 years. And he demanded that sanctions be lifted upon signing the deal instead of in stages. In previous statements, the religious leader had expressed support for the talks.

双方对嫌疑核地点的检查也存在争议，伊朗精神领袖阿亚图拉-阿里-哈梅内伊称伊朗不会允许国际检查员看到军事基地、科学家或文件。他周二在国家电视台做讲话，反对对本国的核研究和开发进行10到12年的限制。他要求在协议签署后立即取消制裁，而不是逐步取消。在之前的声明中，这位宗教领袖还表示支持协商。

Secretary Kerry answered the comments saying the Iranian leader’s comments were not new. He said, “What matters …is what is agreed upon within the four corners of the document, that is what is yet to be determined.”

国务卿克里对此作出回复，称伊朗这位领袖的言论并不新奇。他说，“有关协议要达成的内容尚未确定。”

Mr. Kerry added that if Iran fails to abide by the framework agreement reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, “there will not be an agreement.”

克里说，如果伊朗未能遵守在瑞士洛桑达成的框架协议，那么“以后就没有协议了”。

Former Ambassador James Jeffrey is one of several former officials to sign an open letter expressing concern the agreement may not be a good one. Five of those officials have served in the administration of President Obama. Mr. Jeffrey said those who signed the letter are concerned the administration will offer too many concessions. They urged tough inspections, long-term limits on nuclear research, full information on Iran’s past activities and a gradual reduction in sanctions.

前大使詹姆斯·杰弗瑞和另外几名前官员在一封公开信上签名，表示担心该协议不会很好。其中有5名官员曾就职于奥巴马政府，杰弗瑞称公开信的签名者担心政府会做出太多让步。他们要求对核研究进行严格的检查和长期的限制，充分了解伊朗过去的核活动，逐步减轻制裁。

Negotiation between Iran and the six powers have lasted for two years. There already have been two extensions of negotiating deadlines. Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said, “The comprehensive deal, if and when it is struck, needs to be clear and detailed as to what is allowed and what’s not allowed.”

伊朗和六大国之间的协商已经持续了两年，协商的最后期限也已经延长过两次。国际战略研究所的马克·菲茨帕特里说，“一旦达成全面协议，就必须很清楚，细节详尽，包含所允许的和不允许的内容。”

Words in the News

framework – n. an agreement on the structure of a deal, but not its details and how it will be carried out

sanction(s) – n. actions that are taken to make a country obey international law by limiting trade with that country

verify – v. to prove, to find out if something is true, correct or as it should be

concession(s) – n. things given up in order to get something that is desired such as an outcome

gradual – adj. something that comes into being slowly over time