IN THE NEWS - NATO Meeting

IN THE NEWS - November 23, 2002: NATO Meeting

By Caty Weaver¹

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Program, IN THE NEWS.

Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization met in Prague this week. NATO member nations officially
invited seven countries in eastern and central Europe to join the alliance. The proposed expansion would be
NATO’s biggest since the end of the Soviet² Union.

The nineteen current members asked Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to join the alliance. Romania,
Slovakia and Slovenia also were asked. Those invited are expected to join NATO in Two-Thousand-Four.

President Bush spoke³ to the heads of state and government gathered at the Prague meeting. The president said
that adding the seven countries would strengthen the alliance. He said the struggle these areas once faced under
Soviet control would bring a moral clearness to NATO. He said their inclusion supports the idea of a Europe that
is whole, free and at peace.

Czech President Vaclav Havel said NATO’s expansion would end what he called the unnatural⁴ divide between
western Europe and former Soviet allies. British Prime Minister Tony Blair also praised the expansion. He called
it a major step toward improving European security. French President Jacques Chirac made similar comments.

The countries asked to become NATO members are celebrating the event. Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said the invitation was one of the most important events in modern Bulgarian history.
Romanian President Ion Iliescu said his country’s invitation represents a total break with the past. He said
joining the Alliance is a major step forward.

NATO established requirements for countries seeking to become members. These include policies for military
spending, rules for secure communications and civilian⁵ control of defense⁶ operations. NATO countries also have
made clear the need for reforms in such areas as human rights, press freedoms and the fight against economic
wrongdoing.

Leaders at the Prague meeting made decisions on several other issues. They agreed to create a new security force
that can be deployed⁷ more quickly than other NATO troops. The twenty-thousand member force will be trained
in war operations to deal with possible terrorist threats. The leaders said they would re-organize the Alliance’s
command structure. They also declared their support for efforts to disarm⁸ Iraq.

Several NATO members said they planned to increase military spending and provide better equipment to the
Alliance. They say improvements will be made to heavy transport aircraft, guided weapons and protection against
chemical and biological weapons.

President Bush flew to Russia Friday and met with President Vladimir Putin. After their talks, Mister Putin said
Russia still believes that NATO’s expansion is unnecessary. Yet he also said Russia is prepared to increase its
cooperation with the alliance.

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 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 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。

4 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

8 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。