2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Concerned About Collapse of Ports Dea

By Scott Stearns
White House
10 March 2006

President Bush says he is concerned about international reaction to congressional opposition¹ to a Dubai-owned company managing operations at some U.S. ports. Opposition led the firm to announce it would transfer port operations to a U.S. entity².

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George Bush
  

President Bush says it was never a question of security with Dubai Ports World, that his administration would never have approved the deal, if it made the nation more vulnerable to terrorist attack.

But the White House failed to convince Democrats³ and Republicans in Congress that the deal should go through, and the state-owned firm announced Thursday that it would transfer operations at U.S. terminals to an American entity.

President Bush warned Congress that blocking the move could hurt America's broader security interests in the Middle East. He says it may now be more difficult to continue close cooperation with Middle East allies.

"I'm concerned about a broader message this issue could send to our friends and allies around the world, particularly in the Middle East," he said. "In order to win the war on terror, we have got to strengthen our relationships and friendships with moderate Arab countries in the Middle East."

U.S. public opinion polls showed overwhelming opposition to allowing the firm to manage operations at six U.S. ports. Despite threats of a presidential veto, Republican leaders in Congress told Mr. Bush the deal would not go through.

Speaking to officials from American newspapers Friday, President Bush said the United Arab Emirates is a committed ally in the fight against terrorism - servicing U.S. ships, sharing intelligence, and helping⁴ shut down the nuclear trading network of Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan.

"UAE is a valued and strategic partner," he said. "I am committed to strengthening our relationship with UAE and explaining why it is important to Congress and the American people."

The U.S. Chamber⁵ of Commerce says it would be a grave mistake for Congress to take actions that could harm the U.S. economy in the name of national security. Chamber Executive Vice⁶ President Bruce Josten says security should always be a top priority. But he cautions that the controversy⁷ over the ports deal could seriously damage U.S. relations with friendly countries in the Middle East, and hamper⁸ America's ability to promote international trade and investment.

Talks between the United States and the United Arab Emirates over a free trade agreement have stalled. U.S. trade representative spokeswoman Neena Moorjani would not comment on any link to the ports controversy, saying delays are common.

"The U.S. and UAE are strongly committed to making progress on our FTA negotiations⁹," she said. "In order to get an agreement that both sides can successfully implement¹⁰, we need additional time to prepare for the next round of negotiations."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the decision by Dubai Ports World was made on its own, and shows the UAE's understanding of the broader importance of its relationship with the United States.

Pollsters say the controversy has contributed to an overall decline in the president's approval ratings. McClellan says the decision does resolve the matter, so the administration can move forward on other important issues.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

8 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

9 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。

10 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。