2006年VOA标准英语-Muslim Leader Urges Diplomacy with Iran

By Michael Drudge¹
London
10 March 2006

The chief of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference says the West's showdown with Iran over its nuclear program should be resolved through diplomacy². Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu spoke³ about the issue with foreign correspondents in London.

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Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (File photo)  
  

In a wide-ranging news conference, O.I.C. Secretary General Ihsanoglu said that what he describes as "Western double standards" are to blame for Muslim anger over several issues. says a Danish newspaper's decision to publish cartoons critical of the Prophet Muhammad, but not others lampooning⁴ Jesus Christ, is an example of what he means.

On the question of the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, Ihsanoglu says diplomacy has not been exhausted⁵, and he warns against a military solution.

"We don't like to see a new conflict in the Middle East. We have enough, and I should say, enough is enough," he said. "Any new spark in the Middle East would be really disastrous⁶ for everybody."

The O.I.C. chief says Iran deserves the benefit of the doubt when it says it only wants nuclear power for civilian⁷ purposes.

"We are against proliferation of nuclear weapons," he said. "I understand that Iran, officially, has said that 'we are not for nuclear weapons.' And, we take their word for that."

The United States has accused Iran of secretly working on a nuclear weapons program, and has been urging the United Nations Security Council to demand Tehran halt its nuclear enrichment activities and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Turning to the subject of Iraq, the O.I.C secretary general says it is unfortunate that, three months after the general election, a government still has not been formed. He expresses hope that Iraq is not headed for civil war.

"We should stop any sectarianism in Iraq, any sectarianism built on religious grounds," he added. "It's a pity we have started the 21st Century with sectarianism in Iraq."

On the status of Muslims in Britain, Ihsanoglu says, they are better off than most Muslims in other European countries. He condemns⁸ the suicide bombings by four British-born Muslims in London last July, and urges continued investigation⁹ to determine who masterminded those attacks.

1 drudge   

n.劳碌的人；v.做苦工，操劳

参考例句：

• I feel like a real drudge--I've done nothing but clean all day!我觉得自己像个做苦工的--整天都在做清洁工作！
• I'm a poor,miserable,forlorn drudge;I shall only drag you down with me.我是一个贫穷，倒运，走投无路的苦力，只会拖累你。

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

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 lampooning   

v.冷嘲热讽，奚落( lampoon的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Larry Ellison is a prime choice for such lampooning because-married, thrice-divorced multimillionaire is larger than life. 拉里·埃里森写那么一篇讽刺性的文章的初衷是因为他生活无羁，且是一个三次结婚三次离婚的亿万富翁。 来自互联网

5 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

6 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

7 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。

8 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。