2007年VOA标准英语-Britain Demands Captured Sailors' Release, Seek

By Sean Maroney
Washington
30 March 2007
 
watch Britian Demand Release

No quick solution is in sight for the tense dispute over Iran's seizure¹ of a British naval² crew.  After negotiations³, the U.N. Security Council expressed "grave concern" and called for an early resolution of the problem including the sailors' release.  The United States is also backing the demand for the captives' immediate⁴ release, while at the same time continuing diplomatic efforts aimed at getting Iran to agree to negotiations over its nuclear work.  VOA's Sean Maroney reports.

Britain has repeated its demand that the captured sailors must be released immediately and unconditionally⁶, and the Foreign Office in London is asking the United Nations to condemn⁷ Iran's actions.

After Iranian forces seized the 15 British naval personnel last week, Tehran said the British crew had sailed into Iranian waters.  Britain maintains, and it has released satellite-positioning data to confirm, that the sailors were in Iraqi territory, and had not strayed across Iran's maritime⁸ border.

Britain has since frozen what it calls all "official bilateral⁹ business" with Iran, apart from efforts to win the detainees' release.

Nicholas Burns

In Washington, the U.S. State Department's Nicholas Burns says NATO countries are united in their support for the British. "All of us hope that Iran will make the right decision and release these people," he said, "because they're entirely¹⁰ innocent and they were operating under United Nations authority as part of the multinational¹¹ coalition¹², and they were clearly inside Iraqi waters."

The United States' top career diplomat⁵ also is closely involved in the international effort to get Iran to join negotiations over its controversial nuclear program.  Burns told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the U.S. is continuing its multilateral diplomatic approach to the Iranian nuclear standoff.

In the Persian Gulf¹³, meanwhile, U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups have been holding a major military exercise this week.  The commanding officer of the USS Eisenhower, Captain Dan Cloyd, says the maneuvers¹⁴ are not linked to the abduction of the British naval crew.

"What we're doing here is more about demonstrating our capability¹⁵, our commitment [and] our resolve," he said.

U.S. diplomat Burns says global economic sanctions against Iran are the best way to pressure the leadership in Tehran to agree to negotiations on the nuclear dispute.

 "They don't want to be isolated," he noted¹⁶.  "They don't want to live the way the North Koreans have lived.  They want to integrate, and they want investment capital.  And they want trade with Europe and the Arab world."

The economic sanctions are aimed at the Iranian government.  Burns says the United States is committed to friendly relations with the Iranian people.

"The Iranian people are among the most pro-American of all the people in the Middle East," he said.  "So Congress was good enough to give us last year $75 million to expand our Persian-language VOA TV, to expand our Persian-language radio into Iran [and] to allow us to create websites that are key to each of the regions of Iran, [so] we can talk to people."

Iran had promised to release one of the British sailors -- the only woman among the detainees.  But that gesture did not take place.  Top Iranian officials say the young woman's release was suspended because of what they call "wrong behavior" by Britain, along with so-called interference by other countries.

1 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 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。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 unconditionally   

adv.无条件地

参考例句：

• All foreign troops must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. 所有外国军队必须立即无条件地撤出。
• It makes things very awkward to have your girls going back unconditionally just now! 你们现在是无条件上工，真糟糕！ 来自子夜部分

7 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

8 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

9 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

14 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

15 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。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。