美国国家公共电台 NPR--State Department official says Russia's activities in Zaporizhzhia are irresponsible

State Department official says Russia's activities in Zaporizhzhia are irresponsible

Transcript¹

Nuclear facilities, like the one Russia controls in Ukraine, should be off limits to warring parties. Russia's seizure² of the nuclear plant sets a dangerous precedent³.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

U.N. nuclear inspectors⁴ are in Ukraine trying to assess damage at Europe's largest nuclear power plant. The Zaporizhzhia plant is on the front lines of the war and now controlled by Russia. Nuclear facilities like that one should be off limits during conflict. But the laws of war aren't clear on this point. And in this case, diplomats⁵ are struggling to figure out ways to pressure the Russians to back off. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE⁶: A top State Department official, Bonnie Jenkins, says Russia has been engaging in what she calls irresponsible behavior for a nuclear weapons state. And she wants to see Russia return the Zaporizhzhia power plant to Ukrainian control.

BONNIE JENKINS: Nowhere in the history of this world has a nuclear power plant become a part of a combat zone. So this really has to stop immediately.

KELEMEN: In recent decades, the U.S. and Israel have carried out airstrikes on unfinished nuclear sites in Iraq and Syria. But in this case, Russia has seized control of a working civilian⁷ nuclear power plant as part of its invasion of Ukraine. And nuclear experts like Henry Sokolski are sounding the alarm.

HENRY SOKOLSKI: This is a curtain raiser on future problem sets that we will encounter with North Korea targeting possibly reactors⁸ in South Korea. It may well be that China is serious about their training manuals that they had written up in 2015 that talked about the need to be ready to target reactors in Taiwan.

KELEMEN: There are international norms against this. The 1977 additional protocol⁹ to the Geneva Convention doesn't exactly prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities. But signatories are supposed to avoid civilian installations that contain, quote, "dangerous forces" like radiation. But that leaves too much wiggle room, and it's hard to enforce, says George Moore, a scientist in residence at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

GEORGE MOORE: I hope once Ukraine gets somehow settled that, you know, maybe cooler heads will prevail, and they will get an international treaty on this. But then going back to your other question, who would enforce it if it's broken? It's sad to say, but, you know, all international treaties are only as good as the commitment of the countries to abide¹⁰ by them.

KELEMEN: The Russians don't seem at all moved by the international condemnation¹¹, and both sides have accused each other of shelling the plant. Ukraine and many others point out that Russia has no right to be there. As for the U.S., it is not a party to that protocol in the Geneva Convention. And Sokolski, who runs the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center in Washington, says that undercuts U.S. diplomacy¹².

SOKOLSKI: Our credibility in this topic here is akin¹³ to the proverbial lecture about temperance from a bar stool (laughter), and I would think it would be wise for us to tighten¹⁴ up our act.

KELEMEN: He says the U.S. could start by bringing U.S. military guidelines closer in line with the additional protocol. And the U.S. could work within international organizations, like the IAEA, to censure¹⁵ Russia's record on nuclear safety.

SOKOLSKI: They do not, by any stretch of the imagination, want to be put it all in the corner with a dunce cap on safety when they're trying to export reactors.

KELEMEN: Much will depend on what International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors report back to Vienna after their visit to Ukraine.

Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

3 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

4 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 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。

8 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

9 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

10 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

11 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

12 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。

13 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

14 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

15 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。