VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Backs Kosovo Independence

By Scott Stearns
Kigali
19 February 2008

President Bush says he is backing independence for Kosovo because he believes it will bring peace to the Balkans.  VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports Russia and Serbia say Kosovo's unilateral declaration sets a dangerous precedent¹ for separatist movements, worldwide.

President Bush says he has made clear to Russia, all along, that he supports Kosovo's independence because he believes it is an historic step toward peace.

"We've been working very closely with the Russians, as we have with the Europeans and other nations on Kosovo's independence, because we believe it's the right thing to do," the president said.  "You know, there's a disagreement, but we believe, as do many other nations, that history will prove this to be a correct move, to bring peace to the Balkans."

Speaking to reporters in Tanzania before he traveled to Rwanda, Mr. Bush again urged the predominantly-Albanian Kosovo to protect the rights of minority Serbs.

"Kosovo committed itself to the highest standards of democracy, including freedom and tolerance² and justice for citizens of all ethnic³ backgrounds," he said. "These are principles that honor human dignity.  They are values America looks for in a friend and, soon, we will establish full diplomatic relations with the new nation of Kosovo."

President Bush says the United States and its allies will work to bring about a smooth and peaceful transition to independence.

Serbia says it will make every effort to retain the territory, rejecting the declaration as a travesty⁴ of international law that will not add stability to the Balkans.

Serbia has recalled its ambassador from Washington because of the U.S. decision and says it will recall all ambassadors from countries that recognize the independent province.

In an emergency U.N. Security Council session, Russia joined Serbia in denouncing Kosovo's declaration as a violation⁵ of Security Council orders.

Serbia wants U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to declare Kosovo's decision null and void.  Mr. Ban has refused to declare that independence either legal or illegal and is calling on all sides to refrain from actions or statements that could jeopardize⁶ regional peace.

France, Britain, Belgium, and Italy have welcomed Kosovo's independence.  Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Romania are among those who oppose it.

Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999, when NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) air strikes halted Belgrade's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists and drove Serbian security forces from the province.

1 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

2 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 travesty   

n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化

参考例句：

• The trial was a travesty of justice.这次审判嘲弄了法律的公正性。
• The play was,in their view,a travesty of the truth.这个剧本在他们看来是对事实的歪曲。

5 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

6 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。