IN THE NEWS - UN General Assembly Meeting

IN THE NEWS - September 7, 2002: UN General Assembly Meeting

By George Grow

Delegates observe a
moment of silence at the
opening of the fifty-sixth
General Assembly meeting,
September 12, 2001.
(Photo -UN)
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS.

The General Assembly of the United Nations will officially open its fifty-seventh
meeting on Tuesday. Representatives from around the world will attend the yearly
meeting at U-N headquarters in New York City. The meeting usually lasts about
three months.

The United Nations was created after World War Two. It was established by fifty-
one countries in October, Nineteen-Forty-Five. It was formed to strengthen
international peace and security and to help settle conflicts among nations. Now,
almost every nation in the world belongs to the U-N General Assembly. Each
member nation has one vote in the Assembly. Jan Kavan of the Czech Republic is
the current General Assembly president. Mister Kavan was elected in July. He
replaces Han Seung-soo of South Korea.

On Wednesday, U-N officials plan to attend ceremonies honoring those killed last
year in the September eleventh terrorist attacks. Many diplomats¹ experienced shock after terrorists hijacked² two
airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center buildings in New York. Last year, the General Assembly
meeting was to begin on September eleventh. Because of the attacks, the U-N headquarters was forced to close.

Leaders of many nations speak to the General Assembly during the first weeks of the meeting. President Bush
will speak on Thursday. He is expected to call for action against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The President says Iraq has failed to act on international agreements to stop developing biological, chemical or
nuclear weapons. He says the Iraqi leader could help terrorists get such weapons. Mister Bush wants Saddam
Hussein removed from power.

Leaders of many countries oppose military action against Iraq. Earlier this week, Arab League foreign ministers
declared support for restarting the U-N arms inspection³ program in Iraq. But they rejected the use of military
force.

A major goal of the U-N is to help prevent conflicts and end wars. General Assembly members will discuss
situations of tension and fighting in many areas of the world.

The U-N provides peacekeeping forces that have been deployed⁴ around the world. It also holds international
meetings on important issues. For example, the U-N World Summit on Sustainable Development ended this week
in Johannesburg, South Africa. Delegates agreed on a plan designed to protect the environment and help poor
people in developing countries. However, many activists⁵ are unhappy with the agreement.

Such disputes at U-N organizations and meetings are not unusual. Neither are criticisms of the international
organization. Some people say the U-N is weak. Yet others say the United Nations is extremely important for
world peace.

This VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS, was written by George Grow. This is Steve Ember.

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version

1 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》

2 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。

3 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》