2006年VOA标准英语-Blair: Addressing Mideast Conflict Will Help in

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
10 December 2006

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he welcomes the renewed focus on resolving the Israel - Palestinian dispute. Mr. Blair, who made the comment on U.S. television Sunday, has long held the view that the Palestinian dispute is critical to resolving the crisis in Iraq, which was also a key finding of the Iraq Study Group report that was issued last week. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is one of the world's leading voices on the importance of resolving the Middle East conflict.

"I think the key diplomatic push is on Israel-Palestine, [which] is my view, and I totally welcome what the [ISG] report says on that, and I think we've got to move forward on that, very much," said Tony Blair.

His comments came Sunday on the ABC television program This Week. He said there is what he called a "profound struggle" in the Middle East between the forces of moderation and extremism, which he added could affect the region's future.

"I have a view that this is part of something which is far bigger, which is basically about whether we can create a sufficiently¹ strong alliance of, as I say, moderate and modernizing² people across the whole of the region of the Middle East, that we turn it in a different direction," he said.

Former congressman³ Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, agreed with the British leader. He said in its report on Iraq issued last week, the 10-member commission also emphasized the urgent importance of seriously dealing⁴ with the Palestinian-Israel dispute.

"The reason you want to address - we didn't say solve, but address - the Arab-Israeli problem is you must do that in order to appeal to the moderate Arabs, who are our friends in the region and who can be very helpful in Iraq," said Lee Hamilton. "The emphasis on the moderate Arabs in the prime minister's [Blair] statement is right on the mark."

He spoke⁵ on the CBS television program, Face the Nation. His colleague, the Iraq Study Group chairman, former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker⁶, says the people of the Middle East are facing a choice between democracy and dictatorship.

Meanwhile, Mr. Blair raised his concerns about the need for a comprehensive Middle East solution during a meeting last week with President Bush at the White House. The British leader says he is going to the region soon, to try to push for a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

1 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

2 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 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。

6 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。