VOA标准英语2009-US Says No Deadline on Nuclear Diplomacy With Ir

The Obama administration said Thursday it has set no deadline for its diplomatic outreach to Iran to show results, but that U.S. patience on the issue of Tehran's nuclear program is not infinite. The new administration has said it will be a full participant in big-power nuclear contacts with Iran.

Officials here say there is no specific time-line on nuclear diplomacy¹ with Iran but that the United States is not prepared to wait forever for Tehran to agree to curb² its uranium enrichment program and return to formal negotiations³.

The comments here came in response to a report by the Wall Street Journal newspaper Thursday that the administration and European allies have set a target for early October for determining whether engagement with Iran is making progress.

The U.N. Security Council has approved three sanctions resolutions against Iran for its refusal to halt a uranium enrichment drive U.S. officials believe is weapons related.

Russia and China have resisted additional sanctions. The Wall Street Journal report said U.S. officials believe those two powers might be more amenable⁴ to tougher sanctions if there is no breakthrough before world leaders convene⁵ for the new U.N. General Assembly in late September.
　
New State Department spokesman Ian Kelly answers a question during a media briefing at the State Department in Washington, 11 May 2009

At a news briefing, State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly insisted however that there is no fixed⁷ timetable.

"We're not setting any deadline. And we're not interested in setting any kind of specific or even notional time-line," said Kelly. We are of course monitoring very closely what the Iranians are doing, assessing progress. But we don't have any time-line. We're not going to let this string out forever of course, but we don't have any timetable on it."

The Bush administration refused a direct role in nuclear talks with Iran unless it first halted its enrichment program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.

Spokesman Kelly said the Obama administration determined⁸ that the previous approach of isolating⁹ Iran "didn't work" and that it wants to give engagement with Iran a chance.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Senators in April the United States is prepared to push for "crippling sanctions" against Tehran if outreach fails.

The U.S. Congress is currently debating legislation that would require the White House to sanction companies that sell refined petroleum¹⁰ products to Iran, which despite its huge oil reserves lacks gasoline refining capacity.

But at a Senate hearing Thursday, senior State Department Middle east expert Jeffrey Feltman appeared cool to the idea of new U.S. sanctions, saying the administration favors a multi-lateral approach.

"We don't want to end up in a situation where we're taking steps that could make it harder for us to strengthen the international coalition¹¹ that's focused on Iran," said Feltman. "We want to keep the focus on Iran and what Iran is doing, and what we can do collectively in order to try to persuade Iran to take a different course."

Feltman, a former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, spoke⁶ at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination¹² to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. He has held the top Middle East post on an acting¹³ basis since January.

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 amenable   

adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的

参考例句：

• His scientific discoveries are amenable to the laws of physics.他在科学上的发现经得起物理定律的检验。
• He is amenable to counsel.他这人听劝。

5 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

6 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。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

10 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。