2007年VOA标准英语-Seoul Says Food Aid to North Korea Depends on N

By Leta Hong Fincher
Washington
24 April 2007
 

South Korean officials say their agreement Sunday to send rice to help North Korea feed its people will only go through if Pyongyang honors a pledge to begin dismantling¹ its nuclear weapons program.  And President Bush's special envoy² monitoring human rights in North Korea says Pyongyang must change its ways before normalization³ of U.S. relations can take place.  VOA's Leta Hong Fincher has more.

Seoul says its decision to send 400,000 tons of rice to impoverished⁴ North Korea is not just a humanitarian⁵ gesture.

South Korean officials say the aid agreement they signed this week (4/22) depends on whether North Korea begins dismantling its nuclear-weapons program, as promised.

Chin Dong-soo

The chief South Korean negotiator at the Pyongyang talks, Chin Dong-soo, speaking to reporters on Sunday said, "We told [the North] we would have to link the timing⁶ and speed of our rice aid to the North's sincere implementation⁷ of the February 13th agreement."

Under that deal reached at six-party arms talks, North Korea was to close its main nuclear reactor⁸ by April 14th and allow U.N. nuclear inspectors⁹ into the country, but this has not happened.  Pyongyang says this is because it has been unable to regain¹⁰ control of $25 million from a previously¹¹ frozen account at a bank in Macau.  The United States said the North Korean funds at Banco Delta¹² Asia were part of an illegal money-laundering scheme, but it has lifted the "freeze" on the account.

Jay Lefkowitz

Pyongyang is supposed to use the $25 million to help the North Korean people, but President Bush's special envoy monitoring human rights in North Korea, Jay Lefkowitz, says he is "not very confident" that will happen.

"I certainly don't expect, unless there's a change in policy, that we're going to have any transparency in terms of how they spend that money, and I think it's incumbent¹³ on us to insist precisely¹⁴ on that," he says.

Lefkowitz told the conservative Heritage Foundation research group in Washington that North Korea must remove its curbs¹⁵ on freedom of expression, assembly and religion before the United States will normalize relations with the communist state.

"The agreement makes clear that we are to begin holding normalization talks, and the Japanese and the North Koreans are to begin holding normalization talks, and I think these human-rights issues are very much front and center in both of those normalization dialogues," said Lefkowitz.

Some conservatives have criticized the Bush administration for appearing to drop its hard-line stance on North Korean human-rights abuses in order to resolve the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang.

Lefkowitz says the United States and its allies can do more to push North Korea to treat its citizens better. "There is no question that there's a great deal more that we can be doing, and frankly¹⁶ [this] requires work throughout the administration – leadership not only by the president, who is very committed to this agenda (I see that every time I talk to him about it) – but leadership throughout the government in elevating this issue, not only through the six-party talks but also, with our other friends and allies in the region."

The February six-party accord calls for talks between the United States and North Korea to normalize ties after decades of hostility¹⁷, in exchange for Pyongyang's abandonment of nuclear weapons.

1 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 normalization   

n.（normalisation）正常化，标准化

参考例句：

• The visit signalled the normalization of relations between the two countries.这次访问显示两国关系已经正常化。
• He was pleased to the normalization of relationship between the police and the people.他很高兴警方和人民之间关系的正常化。

4 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

8 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

9 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》

10 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

11 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

12 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

13 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

14 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

15 curbs   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In executing his functions he is not bound by any legal curbs on his power. 在他履行职务时，他的权力是不受任何法律约束的。 来自辞典例句
• Curbs on air travel were being worked out and would shortly be announced. 限制航空旅行的有关规定正在拟定中，不久即将公布。 来自辞典例句

16 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

17 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。