2006年VOA标准英语-US Official Says Talks on Iran Sanctions to Beg

By Margaret Besheer
Washington
07 October 2006

A senior U.S. official says work on a new U.N. Security Council resolution to sanction Iran for refusing to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities will begin in a few days.

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U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told British radio Saturday that he is "confident" the international community is now headed toward a sanctions resolution on the Iranian nuclear issue. He said negotiations¹ would define the exact nature of the sanctions.

His remarks follow Friday's meeting in London of the five permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- plus Germany. The six world powers agreed to discuss possible sanctions against Iran, after it ignored an August 31st deadline to suspend uranium enrichment, or face punishment.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, who chaired Friday's meeting, cited "deep disappointment" with Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment -- a key step toward making nuclear weapons. She commended E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana for the series of talks he has held over the last months with Iranian negotiators to try to get Tehran to accept a package of economic incentives², in exchange for halting nuclear enrichment.

"We commend Javier Solana for his tireless efforts to find a way forward, but we are deeply disappointed that he has had to report that Iran is not prepared to suspend its enrichment-related and re-processing activities, as required by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] board, and made mandatory³ in [U.N.] Security Council Resolution 1696. Accordingly, we will now consult on measures under Article 41 of Chapter Seven of the U.N. Charter as envisaged⁴ in that resolution," she said.

That provision authorizes⁵ the Security Council to impose sanctions that do not involve the use of force, such as economic and diplomatic penalties.

Secretary Beckett said Iran had two paths to chose from, and the six powers regret that Iran has not yet chosen the positive one. "We will continue our efforts to find a negotiated solution, and our proposals of the first of June remain on the table," she said.

But Iran says the pursuit of peaceful nuclear technology is its legitimate⁶ right, and dismisses U.S. allegations that it is secretly trying to build nuclear weapons. On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would not be frightened by the threat of sanctions.

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

4 envisaged   

想像，设想( envisage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He envisaged an old age of loneliness and poverty. 他面对着一个孤独而贫困的晚年。
• Henry Ford envisaged an important future for the motor car. 亨利·福特为汽车设想了一个远大前程。

5 authorizes   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings 'traveler' and 'traveller'. 字典裁定traveler和traveller两种拼法都对。
• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings "honor" and "honour.". 字典裁定 honor 及 honour 两种拼法均可。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。