IN THE NEWS - UN Resolution on the Middle East

IN THE NEWS - March 16, 2002: UN Resolution on the Middle East

By Caty Weaver¹

The UN Security Council
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program IN THE NEWS.

Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution concerning the conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians. It was the first U-N resolution on that issue since October of two-thousand. It also is the first
Security Council resolution that supports the idea of a separate and independent Palestinian state.

The United States proposed the resolution. Fourteen nations who are members of the Security Council voted in
support of it. The fifteenth member, Syria, chose not to vote.

Resolution thirteen-ninety-seven says the Security Council supports an idea of two
states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side within secure and recognized borders.
The resolution also demands an immediate² end to the violence. It says this includes
all acts of terror, incitement³ and destruction. The resolution says the current
situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories is tragic⁴. It urges all involved to
guarantee the safety of civilians⁵ and honor international humanitarian⁶ law.

Security Council members also praised the efforts of foreign countries to settle the
Middle East crisis. The resolution notes the work of diplomats⁷ from the United States, Russia, the European
Union and the United Nations.

The Council also welcomed the help of Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Prince Abdullah recently
proposed a plan for peace with Israel. He offered full Arab relations with Israel in exchange for an Israeli
withdrawal⁸ from territory it captured in the Nineteen-Sixty-Seven War.

The United States had not proposed a resolution linked to Israel in almost twenty-five years. In fact, the United
States had used its veto power to stop Security Council action on the issue. The United States has argued that
only Israel and the Palestinians can settle their differences.

Yet, the United States Ambassador to the U-N, John Negroponte, says this resolution does not represent a change
in American policy. The Ambassador says the United States still thinks Israel and the Palestinians must negotiate
agreements. He said the aim of the resolution was to move forward peace efforts and to condemn⁹ violence and
terror.

The Palestinian representative to the U-N said the resolution is something that should help the situation. Israel
said the resolution was balanced.

U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan spoke¹⁰ to reporters the day after the Security Council passed the resolution.
He said he was very happy about it. He also said he thought it was important that the United States took the lead
in creating it.

Secretary General Annan said the resolution would send a powerful message about the need to end current
hostilities¹¹. He said it is part of the continuing efforts to move the Israelis and Palestinians forward in the peace
process.

This VOA Special English program IN THE NEWS was written by Caty Weaver. This is Steve Ember.

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1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 incitement   

激励； 刺激； 煽动； 激励物

参考例句：

• incitement to racial hatred 种族仇恨的挑起
• Interest is an incitement to study. 兴趣刺激学习。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

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》

8 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

9 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

10 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。

11 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。