VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Backs Colombia in Dispute With Venezuela

By Scott Stearns
White House
04 March 2008
 

President Bush is backing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in his stand-off with Venezuela and Ecuador. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Venezuela and Ecuador cut diplomatic ties with Colombia after its forces attacked Colombian rebels inside Ecuador on Saturday.

President Bush says he telephoned President Uribe and told him that America will continue to stand with Colombia as it confronts violence, terror, and drug traffickers.

"He updated me on the situation in his country, including the continuing assault by narco-terrorists as well as the provocative¹ maneuvers² by the regime in Venezuela," said Mr. Bush. "I told the president that America fully³ supports Colombia's democracy and that we firmly oppose any acts of aggression⁴ that could destabilize the region."

Venezuela and Ecuador have ordered troops to their borders with Colombia and cut diplomatic ties after Colombian forces attacked rebels just inside Ecuador on Saturday. Bogota has apologized for the cross border raid, but said it was a necessary part of its struggle against the FARC rebels.

Colombian officials say documents found during Saturday's raid show that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paid $300 million to support those rebels. Venezuelan officials reject that claim.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters the Bush Administration wants the dispute resolved through the Organization of American States. Casey would not comment directly on Colombian charges of Venezuelan support for the rebels.

"It certainly would be very unfortunate if any other countries were actively⁵ aiding or supporting a group that is responsible for kidnapping, killings⁶, participation⁷ in drug trafficking and all the other kinds of things the FARC's engaged in," said Casey.

In a statement on the South Lawn of the White House, President Bush says President Uribe told him that one of the most important ways the United States can demonstrate its support for Colombia is for Congress to approve a free-trade agreement between the countries.

"This trade agreement is more than a matter of smart economics," he said. "It is a matter of national security. If we fail to approve this agreement, we will let down a close ally, we will damage our credibility in the region and we will embolden⁸ the demagogues in our hemisphere. The president told me that the people across the region are watching to see what the United States will do."

The president is calling for Republicans and Democrats⁹ to act on the free trade agreement at what he calls a critical moment to show that America keeps its word.

Colombian troops killed a key leader of FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, along with other members of the rebel group in an attack just inside Ecuador on Saturday.

Ecuador severed¹⁰ diplomatic relations with Colombia over the incident, as did the Venezuelan government of President Hugo Chavez, who has had an increasingly difficult relationship with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

Bilateral¹¹ ties have been further strained by Colombian charges that its troops, during Saturday's raid, found evidence of large-scale Venezuelan aid to the FARC.

In a talk with reporters, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey stressed U.S. support for Colombia in its long conflict with the FARC and said the issue of FARC activities outside of Colombia needs to be addressed.

Casey said the OAS is a proper venue¹² for resolving the dispute. He declined specific comment on the Colombian charges of Venezuelan backing for the FARC, but said any such involvement would be unfortunate.

"We would hope that everyone would work with the government of Colombia to put an end to the threat posed by the FARC," he said.  "It's a terrorist organization. It's been making the lives of the Colombian people miserable¹³ for more than 20 years. It certainly would be very unfortunate if any other countries were actively aiding or supporting a group that is responsible for kidnapping, killings, participation in drug trafficking and all the other kinds of things the FARC's engaged in."

Casey said the issue is serious, but that there is not a sense in Washington that it will flare¹⁴ into open hostilities¹⁵, even though both Ecuador and Venezuela have said they have ordered troops to their borders with Colombia.

Colombia's government has apologized for the raid but said it was a necessary part of its struggle with the FARC. The raid killed Raul Reyes, a senior leader and spokesman for the rebel group.

1 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

2 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

5 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

6 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

7 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

8 embolden   

v.给…壮胆，鼓励

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine,he went over to introduce himself to her.他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• The Prime Minister was steadily emboldened by the discovery that he faced no opposition.发现自己并未遭到反对，首相渐渐有了信心。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

12 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

13 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

14 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

15 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。