2007年VOA标准英语-US Intelligence Officials Speak Out on North Ko

By Paula Wolfson
White House
01 March 2007

U.S. intelligence officials say they stand by their assessment¹ that North Korea was pursuing uranium enrichment in 2002.  VOA White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson reports.

Once again, the Bush administration finds itself on the defensive² about intelligence information cited in the war on terror.

This time, the issue involves North Korea's nuclear capabilities³.

In 2002, the White House accused North Korea of secretly pursuing a uranium enrichment capability⁴ that could be used to develop nuclear weapons.

At a news conference that November, President Bush said North Korea admitted it had a uranium enrichment program.

President Bush

"Contrary to an agreement they had with the United States, they're enriching uranium, with the desire of developing a weapon," said Mr. Bush.  "They admitted to this."

The accusation⁵ led to a rift⁶ in already tense relations.  The United States cut off oil supplies to North Korea, and Pyongyang expelled international nuclear inspectors⁷.

News reports suggest the intelligence community may have overstated the extent of Pyongyang's enrichment activities, but senior intelligence officials deny that was the case.

They say they stand by their original assessment that North Korea was seeking to enrich uranium in 2002.   But, they say, since then, it has become harder to assess North Korea's nuclear activities, and to corroborate⁸ new evidence.

At a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services committee, Joseph DeTrani, the chief U.S. intelligence official on North Korea, acknowledged the problem.  He was questioned by Senator Jack⁹ Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat¹⁰.

REED: "Do you have any further indication of whether that program has progressed in the last six years, one; or two, the evidence, the credibility of the evidence that we had initially¹¹, suggesting they had a program rather than aspirations¹²?"

DeTRANI: "Sir, we had high confidence, the assessment was with high confidence that, indeed, they were making acquisitions necessary for, if you will, a production-scale program. And, we still have confidence that the program is in existence -- at the mid¹³-confidence level, yes, sir, absolutely."

DeTrani did not offer a detailed¹⁴ explanation for the shift from a level of high confidence to one of mid confidence, terms used by intelligence professionals to grade the certainty of their conclusions.  But a look at recent history provides some clues.

Since 2002, U.S. and Pakistani officials have dismantled¹⁵ the secret network set up by A. Q. Khan, the former head of Pakistan's nuclear program.   The Khan network is believed to have sold nuclear know-how¹⁶ to the North Koreans.   And intelligence sources may have been lost, when the Khan network was broken up.

The White House, meanwhile, is downplaying the notion it might have overstated North Korea's nuclear capability in 2002.   Spokeswoman Dana Perino says North Korea is "an opaque¹⁷ regime."  She also points to the fact that Pyongyang tested a nuclear weapon last November.  That test did not involve enriched uranium, but another material, plutonium.

All this comes at a time when the Bush administration is facing questions about its assessments¹⁸ of Iran's nuclear capabilities.   It is also faced with constant reminders¹⁹ of the flawed intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction that was used to make the case for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.

1 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？

2 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

3 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

4 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。

5 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

6 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

7 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 corroborate   

v.支持，证实，确定

参考例句：

• He looked at me anxiously,as if he hoped I'd corroborate this.他神色不安地看着我，仿佛他希望我证实地的话。
• It appeared that what he said went to corroborate my account.看来他所说的和我叙述的相符。

9 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

10 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

11 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

12 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

13 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

14 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

15 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

16 know-how   

n.知识；技术；诀窍

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
• I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。

17 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。

18 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

19 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。