53 鲍威尔中东之行显示美国欲加强在该地区的影响（在线收听）

Powell Mideast Trip Sign Of More Active US Role In Region

Paula Wolfson

The White House

20 Jun 2001 20:09 UTC

President Bush is sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East. Mr. Bush is also personally engaging in telephone 1)diplomacy with leaders in the region. They are signs of 2)stepped up administration involvement in the peace process.

Mr. Bush says the time is right for the United States to play a more active role in the search for Middle East peace. He said, "I do feel like it is an 3)appropriate time for Colin Powell to go the Mideast and he is headed there next week." Secretary Powell will try to protect the 4)fragile Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire brokered by U.S. officials.

President Bush says the parties must continue to work in an 5)all-out effort to bring peace. He says that is the message he conveyed in telephone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and a rare call to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Mr. Bush said, "People can find excuses or a 6)rationale not to continue the work to break the cycle of violence. I 7)urged them not to think that way, to believe in the possible."

The White House says the Secretary of State will seek to build on the cease-fire and move the process forward. The decision to send Mr. Powell may have taken some in the Middle East by surprise. The Secretary 8)indicated earlier this year that he was in no hurry to get involved personally in high-level diplomacy in the region. However, recent weeks have brought evidence of increasing Bush administration involvement - most notably, efforts by Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet to help bring about the cease-fire.

White House officials deny the United States is trying to push a deal. Spokesman Ari Fleischer says Washington cannot "force the peace." But he says the United States can continue to help bring the parties together. He said, "Clearly the discussions the United States had with the parties in a facilitating role helped create the current cease-fire, 9)albeit a fragile one."

Secretary Powell is expected to leave for the Middle East on Tuesday - the same day the Israeli Prime Minister is 10)scheduled to meet in Washington with President Bush.

(1)      diplomacy[dI5plEJmEsI]外交

(2)      step up v.走近, 逐步增加, 提升, 提高

(3)      appropriate[E5prEJprIeIt]adj.适当的

(4)      fragile[5frAdVaIl; (?@) 5frAdVl]adj.易碎的, 脆的

(5)      all-out adj.竭力的, 全部的

(6)      ratio[5reIFIEJ]n.比, 比率

(7)      urge[:dV]vt.催促, 力劝n.迫切要求v.促进

(8)      indicate[5IndIkeIt]vt.指出, 显示, 简要地说明

(9)      albeit[C:l5bi:It]conj.虽然

(10)      scheduled[`FedjU:Lld]adj.预定的