VOA慢速英语-IN THE NEWS - Attack on Georgia Adds to Concerns Abo

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Russia has come under increasing international pressure in the week since it attacked Georgia. That followed a Georgian attempt to take control of the capital of South Ossetia, a pro-Russian area.
　
Russian soldiers on a tank near the Georgian city of Gori Thursday

The number of dead in the conflict is disputed. But Georgia and Russia estimate that more than one hundred thousand people have been displaced. International aid has reached some areas but not many.

On Friday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili signed a cease-fire agreement negotiated by France. At the same time, he criticized the West for not doing more to defend his country.

Georgia has been seeking to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. President Saakashvili said Russia had been planning its attack since NATO decided¹ in April to delay action on Georgian membership.
　
American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili meet in Tbilisi on Friday

With him in Tbilisi was American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She said the most urgent task now is the immediate² withdrawal³ of Russian forces.

In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the way is now open for a Security Council resolution to end the crisis.

Russia and Georgia blame each other for the hostilities⁴ and are considering ways to bring war crimes charges against one another.

Georgia says it launched an offensive against separatists in South Ossetia last week after coming under Russian fire. Russia says it acted to protect its citizens in Ossetia. North Ossetia was put within Russian borders after the Soviet⁵ Union collapsed⁶ in nineteen ninety-one.

The recent violence has been the worst since South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in nineteen ninety-two. The next year, pro-Russian separatists in another area, Abkhazia, took control of most of that territory.

President George Bush said the United States will use air and naval⁷ forces to deliver humanitarian⁸ supplies to the Georgian people.

Also, the presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia visited Tbilisi on Tuesday. These countries and Georgia were all under Soviet control during the Cold War. The Soviets⁹ also used force in Hungary in nineteen fifty-six and in Czechoslovakia in sixty-eight.

Today, some experts believe Russia, under former president and now prime minister Vladimir Putin, may be moving in a similar direction.

American and many European officials saw the Russian move in Georgia as an act of aggression¹⁰ against a democratic country. But many experts say the ability of the West to influence Russia is limited. The United States and the European Union still need Russia's cooperation on international issues.

On Friday, President Bush declared that "Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory." He said Russia has damaged its international relations. In his words: "The Cold War is over. The days of satellite states and spheres of influence are behind us."

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

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 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

8 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。

9 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

10 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。