VOA常速英语2008年-US Nuclear Envoy Says N. Korea Taking 'Positive

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
20 February 2008

Washington's chief negotiator on the North Korean nuclear issue says the multinational¹ talks are not at a stalemate. He says, despite its failure to produce a promised description of its nuclear activities, Pyongyang wants to clarify issues of concern. Hill also says North Korea's chief negotiator told him Pyongyang is not sharing nuclear technology with other countries. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill says Pyongyang continues to insist it has not engaged in uranium enrichment activities. Hill spoke² Wednesday with reporters in Seoul, a day after his meeting in Beijing with North Korean counterpart Kim Kye Kwan.

Experts say a disagreement over whether North Korea pursued a secret uranium enrichment program is the main reason Pyongyang has failed to produce a complete nuclear declaration it promised to deliver by the end of last year. North Korea has never publicly admitted the program, while Washington says it has abundant evidence to show it existed.

Still, Hill described Kim Kye Kwan's attempts to address the issue as "positive."

"They have purchased some equipment and have been trying to show to us that this equipment is not being used for uranium enrichment, on the theory that, if they can show that the equipment is not being used for uranium enrichment, therefore we do not have a uranium enrichment problem," explained Hill.

He said Kim also assured him North Korea is not involved in nuclear proliferation. "He wanted to make very clear that they are not at present having any nuclear cooperation with any other country, and they will not in the future," added Hill.

North Korea has taken significant steps toward stopping and disabling its means of plutonium production under the terms of a deal reached early last year. The overdue³ declaration of its nuclear pursuits would wrap up the second phase of a broader arrangement. That deal would end the North's nuclear arsenal⁴ altogether in exchange for diplomatic and financial incentives⁵.

Hill repeated Wednesday that the U.S. still expects a complete declaration to be submitted, saying Washington cannot "pretend" to ignore North Korean nuclear activities it knows took place.

He also offered Pyongyang some reassurance⁶ that the U.S. and its regional partners will eventually be satisfied with the answers North Korea provides.

"From the DPRK's point of view, they are always concerned, when they tell us something, that what they tell us will be followed by additional questions," said Hill, "and what I want to assure them is that, yes, there will be additional questions, but not an infinite number of questions."

Separately, South Korean officials have struck an agreement to preserve the Unification Ministry⁷, Seoul's main policy body for dealing⁸ with the North. President-elect Lee Myung-bak, due to be sworn in Monday, initially⁹ drew criticism by announcing he would downsize the ministry into a department of the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

1 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。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

4 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

5 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。