VOA标准英语2008年-Russia Recognizes Independence of Breakaway Geo

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has signed decrees granting formal recognition to the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But VOA Moscow correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports analysts² say the move could promote separatism in Russia itself.
　
President Dmitri Medvedev records national address, 26 Aug 2008

President Medvedev announced Russian recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in a five-minute nationally-televised address, in which he accused Georgia of an attempted blitzkrieg aimed at eliminating the people of the breakaway republics.

The Kremlin leader says he has signed decrees regarding the Russian Federation's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He says Russia calls on other states to follow his country's example. Mr. Medvedev says the decision is not easy, but it offers the only possibility to save people's lives.

He says recognition is based on the desire of the Ossetian and Abkhaz peoples for independence, as well as United Nations Charter, a 1970 declaration on international law, and the Helsinki Agreement.

Independent Russian political analyst¹ Alexander Konovalov told VOA the decision weakens the Helsinki Agreement, a document that has recognized the inviolability of Europe's post-War boundaries since it was signed in 1975. Konovalov says this will hurt Russia itself, because Moscow will no longer be able to oppose U.S. and Western recognition of Kosovo, a province that broke lose of Serbia, a Russian ally.

The analyst says even more importantly for Russia, recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia plants a time bomb in the Caucasus, because if Moscow acknowledges the right of Ossetians and Abkhaz to secede³ from Georgia, why can't the Ingush and Chechens leave Russia? He says he does not know how or when the time bomb will go off, but he is certain that it will.

Chechens fought two very bloody⁴ wars of independence with Russia in recent years, which ended only after one of the warring clans⁵ turned their guns against other Chechens to side with the Russians who put them in charge of the restive⁶ region. Chechens have been fighting Russian rule since the 19th century and the area is still considered a hot bed of independence.

The chairman of the European Integration⁷ Forum⁸ in Tbilisi, Soso Tsiskarishvili, told VOA that Mr. Medvedev's decision is likely to raise ethnic⁹ awareness¹⁰ and stoke separatism throughout Russia. He says Mr. Medvedev's decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia demonstrates that he is a short-sighted leader, who was selected, not elected, and cannot be trusted to honor Russia's solemn international commitments. Tsiskarishvili is also critical of Georgian leadership, saying it runs the risk of losing domestic political support.

Tsiskarishvili says he is not convinced there is sufficient confidence among the people of Georgia in the ability of current authorities to control the situation in the long run, or that they will be able to remain real players on Georgia's political scene.

Tsiskarishvili says that if any Georgian leader still harbors ideas of continued fighting over South Ossetia, it will mean the loss of virtually any possibility of maintaining the country's territorial¹¹ integrity.

1 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

4 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

5 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

6 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

7 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

8 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

9 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。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。