2007年VOA标准英语-Bush, Sarkozy Discuss Iran and Iraq

By Scott Stearns
Washington
12 August 2007

U.S. President George Bush and French President Nicholas Sarkozy met Saturday for informal talks on the war in Iraq and uranium enrichment in Iran. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the French leader was a guest at the Bush family home in the Northeast state of Maine.

President Bush, left, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, wave while on a boat ride off Kennebunkport, Maine

There was no official agenda for the hamburger-and-hot-dog picnic at the Bush estate on Walker's Point. It was a social lunch at the invitation of the First Lady who met the Sarkozys at the G8 Summit in Germany two months ago.

But the two leaders did meet for nearly an hour in talks that included efforts at the United Nations to stop Iran from enriching uranium. On Iraq, Mr. Bush is hoping for a better relationship with the new French leader than he had with former President Jacques Chirac who blocked a U.N. resolution on the eve of the U.S. invasion.

Welcoming President Sarkozy to his parent's seaside vacation home, President Bush says past disputes about Iraq do not obstruct¹ progress on other fronts including Lebanon and Sudan. "We have had disagreements on Iraq in particular but I've never allowed disagreements to not find other ways to work together," he said.

President Sarkozy calls the United States a longtime friend who he admires for trying to spread freedom around the world. He says France is friends with democracies not dictatorships. "Do we agree on everything? No. Because even within the family there are disagreements but we are still of the same family and we may be friends and not agree on everything but we are friends nevertheless. That's the truth," he said.

President Bush says he appreciates President Sarkozy's involvement in freeing Bulgarian nurses held in Libya over charges of spreading AIDS. He says he is impressed with the French leader's vision and candor². "The good thing about President Sarkozy is you know where he stands. He'll tell you exactly what he thinks and I hope he'd say the same thing about me," he said.

French First Lady Cecilia Sarkozy telephoned Mrs. Bush Saturday to say that she and her children had sore throats and would not be attending the lunch. President Sarkozy came on his own for a meal that included corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, and blueberry pie.

The Sarkozy family is vacationing in the neighboring state of New Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Bush return to the White House Sunday before leaving Monday for their Texas ranch³.

1 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

2 candor   

n.坦白，率真

参考例句：

• He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
• He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率，已使婚姻奄奄一息。

3 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。