VOA常速英语2007-US Offers to Delay Activation of Europe-Based An

By Al Pessin
Prague
23 October 2007

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates says the United States might be willing to postpone² activation³ of missile-defense sites planned for Poland and the Czech Republic until there is proof Iran has missiles that could reach the area, if that would help end Russian opposition⁴ to the plan. The secretary spoke⁵ in Prague, where he also said the Czech government would have a veto power over any proposal to allow Russian observers at their facility. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Prague.

Secretary Gates says during a joint⁶ visit to Moscow earlier this month he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Russian officials the United States will not slow the negotiations⁷ for the sites or their construction. But he says the United States might be willing leave the sites unused, at least for a while.

"We would consider tying together the activation of the sites in Poland and the Czech Republic with definitive⁸ proof of the threat, in other words, Iranian missile testing and so on," he said.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell later said if Russia agrees to the delay proposal, the United States would retain the right to activate⁹ the system at any time based on its own assessment¹⁰ of Iran's missile capability¹¹.

Russia says Iran is 15-20 years away from having long-range missiles, while U.S. officials believe the threat is only a few years away.

The U.S. proposals are aimed at ending Russian opposition to extending the U.S. missile-defense system into Europe with a radar¹² installation in the Czech Republic and an anti-missile launch site in Poland. The United States says the system is needed to protect NATO allies and U.S. military facilities from a missile attack by Iran, and could also benefit Russia.

But Russia considers the system a challenge to its own capabilities¹³.

Secretary Gates also said he and Secretary Rice asked the Russians if increased transparency about the purpose and operations of the anti-missile system might ease their concerns, perhaps including sending Russian observers the sites. He said he discussed that with Czech officials on Tuesday.

"I also made clear in my conversations this morning that if we were to explore measures of transparency with the Russians such as having a presence here in the Czech Republic or in Poland at these sites, that we would carry these proposals first to the Czech government, and that nothing would be done without the consent of the Czech government," he said.

Asked whether the Czech government would accept such a Russian presence, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said: "No comment. Thank you."

Morrell says Czech officials did not express any objection to the U.S. idea. He also says Secretary Gates understands it could be difficult for the Czechs to accept Russian observers after, in his words, "years under the thumb of the Soviet¹⁴ Union."

The press secretary characterized the U.S. offers to Moscow as "ideas" that Secretaries Gates and Rice came up with during their trip in an effort to address Russian concerns. He says they are not formal proposals and they had not been discussed in advance with either Czech or Polish officials.

Morrell says Russian President Vladimir Putin was "intrigued¹⁵" with the ideas, but there has been no formal Russian response.

Secretary Gates says he will discuss the Russia proposals at a NATO defense ministers meeting later this week in the Netherlands. And he says he will urge NATO members to move forward with their own missile-defense system to complement¹⁶ the U.S. plan.

Secretary Gates and Prime Minister Topolanek agreed negotiations on the Czech radar site should be completed in the next few months. The agreement would then be reviewed by the Czech parliament. U.S. officials say they hope to begin construction by the middle of next year.

They say talks with Poland are not quite so far along, and Poland will have a new government following last Sunday's election. But Secretary Gates says he does not expect that to change Poland's interest in hosting the anti-missile site.

On other subjects, Secretary Gates welcomed the Czech Republic's decision Monday to nearly double its troop commitment in Afghanistan to 480. Some of the new forces will participate in a provincial¹⁷ reconstruction¹⁸ team. The secretary says he will urge other NATO members to do the same, and also to provide more trainers for the Afghan Army.

Also Monday, the Czech government announced it will reduce its troop presence in Iraq. Both moves require parliamentary approval.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

3 activation   

n. 激活，催化作用

参考例句：

• A computer controls the activation of an air bag.电脑控制着气囊的启动。

4 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。

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 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 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。

8 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

9 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

10 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

11 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

12 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

13 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

14 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。

15 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

16 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

17 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

18 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。