美国有线新闻 CNN 沙特威胁美若为911事件追责 就抛售在美千亿资产

 

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0002:41repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: A very warm welcome to our viewers worldwide. From the CNN Center, I'm Carl Azuz.

Today's show starts with news involving the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

U.S. President Barack Obama is traveling to the Middle Eastern monarchy² this week. The two countries governments have been close allies for decades. The U.S. has benefited from having a reliable source of oil and a stable trade and military partner in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has invested in U.S. companies, bought U.S. weapons and received security from the U.S.

But the relationship has had its problems. For example, last year's controversial nuclear deal between Iran and six other countries led by the U.S. Saudi Arabia and Iran are enemies. The Saudis were initially³ furious over the deal.

Another strain: the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who hijacked⁴ American planes were of Saudi descent. And part of a congressional report on those things remains⁵ classified in the U.S. government.

Analysts⁶ suspect that the 28 secret pages could reveal foreign support, possibly Saudi support for the hijackers.

In fact, there's a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Congress right now. It would allow families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia in federal court. If the bill passes, President Obama has threatened to veto it. Part of the reason, timing⁷.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The issue of the 28 pages in the 9/11 Commission come at a very, very sensitive time in U.S.-Saudi relations at the moment. President Obama about to arrive here. Intense mistrust between the Saudis and the United States, that's been developing through President Obama's presidency⁸.

So, the issue right now, the Saudi saying that they would pull $750 billion of investments in the United States if these 28 pages were made public.

These 28 pages, we don't know what they contain, if there was smoking gun in there that says the Saudi government somehow knew or supported or funded the 9/11 hijackers. Does it lead to the fact there perhaps just rich Saudis offered and gave their support for that attack? It's not clear.

But at the moment, the Saudis distrust the United States because they don't think the United States is reliable ally in the region. They formed their own Sunni Muslim coalition⁹, 34 nations. They have massively ramped¹⁰ up their defense¹¹ and security spending, now the third largest defense and security spender in the world.

So, this is a tough time in that relationship.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

3 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

4 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 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。

7 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 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。

10 ramped   

土堤斜坡( ramp的过去式和过去分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• With the arrival of George Lucas, the pace has ramped up. 随着乔治·卢卡斯的到来，速度大大加快。
• They also sold corporate bonds as the global financial crisis ramped up. 在全球金融危机加剧之际，他们还抛售了公司债券。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。