VOA标准英语2010年-US Awaits Israeli Assurances, Delays M

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the Obama administration is still awaiting assurances from Israel on its commitment to the regional peace process following last week's announcement on new Jewish housing in East Jerusalem.  In the meantime, a trip to the region by the U.S. Middle East envoy¹ is on hold.

Clinton is discounting reports of a major crisis in U.S.-Israel relations, but she is making clear that she wants to see substantial gestures by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to repair damage from last week's housing announcement.

The Israeli government angered and embarrassed the Obama administration a week ago when it announced, as Vice² President Joe Biden began a visit to Israel, that it will build 1,600 new Jewish housing units in mainly-Arab East Jerusalem.

The United States is seeking assurances from Mr. Netanyahu that such an incident will not be repeated, as well as pledges that it is prepared to discuss all of the core issues of the Middle East peace process - including Jerusalem - in talks with the Palestinians.

At a press event with Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin, Clinton said the U.S. administration is in very active consultations³ with Israel over steps by the Jewish state that "would demonstrate the requisite⁴ commitment" to the peace process.

She said that when the U.S. side has more to say about those contacts, it will share it with the media.   Clinton dismissed a reporter's suggestion that the housing issue has driven U.S.-Israel relations to their lowest point in decades.

"We are both committed to a two-state solution," she said. "But that doesn't mean that we're going to agree.  We don't agree with our international partners on everything.  And with respect to the announcement that occurred when the vice president was there, we've expressed our dismay and disappointment and we have, as I said earlier engaged in consultations with our partners in the peace effort - the Israelis and the Palestinians - about the way forward."

Administration officials say U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who was to have begun a trip to the region Monday, has postponed⁵ his departure because of the housing controversy⁶.

Mitchell, a former Senate Majority Leader, led a successful U.S. mediation⁷ effort on Northern Ireland in the 1990s.  Irish Foreign Minister Martin said he is confident that Mitchell can prevail in his Middle East task as well.

"We do know that your friend, Senator George Mitchell, who, of course, played such a valuable role in Northern Ireland, has applied⁸ himself diligently⁹ and with great attention to detail," he said. "We know his patience, his legendary¹⁰ patience, in situations like this.  And as we have said in many international forays, we in Ireland have great confidence in his capacity and your capacity to see this through."

Martin said Ireland supports the early convening¹¹ of the indirect Israeli-Palestinian "proximity¹²" talks that Mitchell had hoped to begin this week.  He also said that Israel's "siege" of Gaza had strengthened the hand of Hamas and other extremists in the region, while undermining moderates.

Clinton said she had no disagreement with Martin on the need to alleviate¹³ suffering in Gaza.  But she said that if Hamas wants to play a part in peace talks, it needs to meet international terms by renouncing¹⁴ violence and accepting Israel's right to exist.
 

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 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》

4 requisite   

adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the requisite qualifications for the job.他不具备这工作所需的资格。
• Food and air are requisite for life.食物和空气是生命的必需品。

5 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

6 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

7 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

8 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

9 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

10 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

11 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

12 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

13 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

14 renouncing   

v.声明放弃( renounce的现在分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• He enraged the government by renouncing the agreement. 他否认那项协议，从而激怒了政府。 来自辞典例句
• What do you get for renouncing Taiwan and embracing Beijing instead? 抛弃台湾，并转而拥抱北京之后，你会得到什么？ 来自互联网