VOA标准英语2008年-Russia, Serbia Oppose UN Chief's Plan to Dimini

By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
20 June 2008

Divisions within the U.N. Security Council on the subject of Kosovo were apparent yet again on Friday, when the secretary-general spoke¹ about his plan to transfer some responsibilities from the U.N. mission in Pristina to the European Union. Serbia, and its powerful ally Russia, have rejected the U.N. chief's plan, but the United States, Britain and France support it. From United Nation's headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.
　

British troops serving in the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo patrol the mountainous road near the border dividing Kosovo and Serbia, 5 June 2008

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council that following Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in February and the entry into force last Sunday of its constitution, the U.N. mission's ability to operate there has come into serious question. The mission is known by its acronym² UNMIK.

"I intend to adjust operational aspects of the international civilian³ presence in Kosovo and to reconfigure the profile and structure of UNMIK," he said.

His plan includes allowing the European Union to gradually assume increasing operational responsibilities in the areas of international policing, justice and customs throughout Kosovo.

Saying there is no ideal solution, Mr. Ban defended his proposal as the "least objectionable" and one that was arrived at after lengthy⁴ consultations⁵ with the parties and other stakeholders.

Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999, when NATO air strikes halted a Serbian crackdown on ethnic⁶ Albanians in what had long been a province of Serbia.

Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu welcomed the secretary-general's initiative.

"I would like to assure the secretary-general that he will have the on-going support and cooperation of Kosovo as he moves forward with this initiative," he said.

Not surprisingly, Serbian President Boris Tadic said Belgrade cannot endorse⁷ the secretary-general's proposal, nor will it ever recognize Kosovo's independence.

"Only the Security Council can bring a decision to reconfigure the situation," he said. "The Security Council is the only institution endowed with the power to [enact] legitimate⁸ changes in the composition of the international presence in Kosovo."

Russia, Serbia's ally and a veto-wielding Security Council member, picked apart the secretary-general's proposal paragraph-by-paragraph. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin insisted if the secretary-general does not get approval for his plan in the council, it would be a violation⁹ of both the U.N. resolution that established UNMIK and of the U.N. Charter.

"We made it absolutely clear that this kind of reconfiguration cannot take place without the decision of the Security Council," he said. "It is also the position of Belgrade, but it is certainly our position. We think that should there be attempts to do this reconfiguration outside the Security Council, without the express consent of the Security Council, that would run contrary to [U.N. resolution] 1244 and to the U.N. Charter for that matter."

But U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the secretary-general does have the authority to act.

"The United States believes the secretary-general has the discretion¹⁰ to reconfigure UNMIK and we support the initiative he has taken to do so," he said. "The United States has some concerns about this initiative, but on balance, this initiative may prove to be the most practical way forward."

Secretary-General Ban made clear the complexity¹¹ and strong emotions tied to the Kosovo issue, when he told the 15-member council that in almost 40 years of diplomatic life he has never encountered an issue as divisive, as delicate and as intractable.

1 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。

2 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 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。

5 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 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。

7 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

8 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

9 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。

10 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

11 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。