2007年VOA标准英语-Working Group Focuses on 'Technical Details' of

By Daniel Schearf
Beijing
16 August 2007

The chief U.S. negotiator at the North Korean nuclear talks says negotiators are discussing the "technical procedures" that would eventually be used to shut down the North's nuclear weapons programs.  The talks in the Chinese city of Shenyang are in preparation for the next full round of six-nation talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities¹.  Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.

envoy2 Christopher Hill, center, sits with his delegate members attending the 2nd working group meeting on North Korea's nuclear program in Shenyang, China, Thursday, 16 Aug. 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070818/0912340.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

U.S. envoy Christopher Hill, center, sits with his delegate members attending the 2nd working group meeting on North Korea's nuclear program in Shenyang, China, Thursday, 16 Aug 2007

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters Thursday he expected the two days of meetings in Shenyang this week to be substantive³.  But he said they would not yet produce a schedule for Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament.

"The purpose is not so much to negotiate an agreement today or this week, but rather to identify the technical procedures that can be used to affect disablement, and so we hope that if we can have an agreement on what type of technical procedures can be used, then we can put together an actual agreement," Hill said.
 
In February, the six-nation talks produced a broad agreement on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, and preliminary steps have already been taken.  But the painstaking⁴ details of identifying and shutting down all of Pyongyang's nuclear programs have yet to be worked out. 
 
Hill says this week's working group talks will lay the groundwork for the next full round of six-nation negotiations⁵, which are expected to be held in Beijing in early September.  China, South Korea, Japan and Russia are also involved in the talks.
 
The goal of the next round is a timetable for North Korea to reveal the full range of its nuclear programs, and details on how and when they will be disabled.
 
Pyongyang in July allowed international inspectors⁶ to verify the shutdown of its main plutonium nuclear reactor⁷, the first step in what negotiators warn will be a lengthy⁸ process.

The February agreement calls for North Korea to eventually receive a total of one million tons of fuel, other types of aid, security guarantees and diplomatic concessions⁹ - as long as it follows its promise to declare and dismantle¹⁰ those nuclear programs.
 
North Korea's economy is in tatters, and long-running food shortages have led to widespread malnourishment and death among the population.  Those problems were aggravated¹¹ in recent weeks by flooding that Pyongyang says has killed hundreds of people, and affected¹² up to 300,000.
 
The United Nations, South Korea and the U.S. are all are considering what humanitarian¹³ aid they can offer North Korea.

1 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

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 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

4 painstaking   

adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的

参考例句：

• She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。
• Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

5 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。

6 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》

7 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。

8 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

9 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

10 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

11 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 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。