IN THE NEWS - Summit of the Americas

IN THE NEWS - Summit¹ of the Americas
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Saturday, January 17, 2004

This is Steve Ember with In the News, in VOA Special English.

Leaders of thirty-four countries in the Americas met this week in Monterrey, Mexico. The leaders from north, central and south America and the Caribbean discussed trade, terrorism and poverty.

 
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Mexican President Vicente Fox led the special Summit of the Americas. Mister Fox praised the two days of talks but noted³ there were often sharp differences of opinion. The main disputes were about the issues of free trade and helping⁴ the poor.

President Bush wanted the leaders to set a time limit of two-thousand-five to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas. That would bring together countries from Argentina to Canada, except for Cuba. Cuba's leader, Fidel Castro, was not invited to the summit.

Eight-hundred-million people live in the thirty-four nations represented at the meeting. About half live in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Some leaders said the conference did not do enough for the other half. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the main goal should be to help the poor. He said free trade alone will not solve this problem.

President Bush and President Fox noted economic growth in their countries as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement. That agreement, known as NAFTA, is ten years old. It links Mexico, the United States and Canada. But some research says NAFTA has failed to improve living conditions in Mexico.

Mexico and Canada were the countries that gained the most from the United States during the summit and before. During the talks, President Bush promised Canada the chance to take part in future rebuilding projects in Iraq. The Bush administration had said countries that opposed the war, as Canada did, could not take part in those projects.

Also, days before the summit, President Bush announced a temporary worker program for people who entered the United States illegally. The country has an estimated eight-million to as many as twelve-million illegal immigrants. Immigration officials estimated that almost five-million came from Mexico as of January of two-thousand.

Mexico's president called the proposal a very important step forward. Mister Fox also accepted another invitation to visit Mister Bush at his home in Texas in March. Mister Bush's proposal would let illegal immigrants work legally for at least three years. Honduran President Ricardo Maduro said the plan would give people closer ties to Latin Americans in the United States.

The final declaration⁵ at the summit did not set a date to establish the Free Trade Area of the Americas. And it did not include an American proposal to bar leaders of dishonest governments from future meetings. But the leaders did promise greater cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

1 summit   

n.最高点，峰顶；最高级会议；极点

参考例句：

• They climbed up the mountain and reached the summit.他们爬山，最终达到了山顶。
• The summit of the mountain is lost in the cloud and mist.山顶隐没在云雾之中。

2 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。