布什总统将与北约首脑会面

15 布什总统将与北约首脑会面

Bush Prepares for Meeting with NATO Leaders
Deborah Tate
Madrid
13 Jun 2001 02:13 UTC
 
President Bush Wednesday meets with NATO leaders in Brussels to try to ease their concerns about his anti-missile defense¹ proposals and his commitment to 1)peacekeeping in the Balkans.
Mr. Bush is expected to defend his proposal to 2)back away from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which Europeans view as a 3)cornerstone of arms control, to allow the establishment of a planned missile shield.
President Bush and Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar He offered a preview at a joint² news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in Madrid. "The ABM Treaty is a 4)relic of the past," he said. "It prevents freedom-loving people from exploring the future. That is why we have got to lay it aside. That is why we have got to have the framework, the discussions necessary to explain to our friends and 5)allies, as well as Russia, that our intent is to make the world more peaceful, not more dangerous."
Mr. Bush also will likely reassure³ the Europeans that the United States will not unilaterally pull its peacekeeping troops out of the Balkans. He had raised concern among allies during his campaign for the White House last year, when he suggested U.S. troops had been 6)overextended by too many peacekeeping 7)missions, including in the former Yugoslavia. At the time, he said he believed the Europeans should take on more of the responsibility of peacekeeping. Mr. Bush has since stepped back from that position.
In addition, Mr. Bush is expected to discuss NATO 8)expansion. Three former Warsaw Pact⁴ nations, Poland, Hungary and the Czech republic joined in 1999, and nine other former communist nations are seeking entry. NATO is expected to decide, at a summit in Prague next year, who the next members will be.
At a news conference in Madrid, Mr. Bush would not 9)endorse any specific candidates for entry into NATO. "It is not a question of whether, it is a question of when," he said. "We firmly believe NATO should expand. There is a process for member 10)applicants to go through, and we support that process."
Mr. Bush is also expected to discuss NATO's program to modernize⁵ defense 11)capabilities and its relations with Russia.

(1) peacekeeping[`pi:s9ki:pIN]adj.维护和平的,执行(或监督)停火协定的
(2) back away v.逐渐后退
(3) cornerstone[5kC:nEstEJn]n.墙角石, 基础
(4) relic[5relIk]n.遗物, 遗迹, 废墟
(5) allies[`AlaIz]n.联盟国, 同盟者
(6) overextend[9EJvErIk`stend]vt.过分扩展, 过分扩张
(7) mission[5mIF(E)n]n.使命, 任务, 使团, 代表团
(8) expansion[Ik5spAnF(E)n]n.扩充, 开展, 膨胀
(9) endorse[In5dC:s]v.在(票据)背面签名, 认可, 签署
(10) capability[keIpE5bIlItI]n.(实际)能力, 性能, 容量
(11) applicant[5AplIkEnt]n.申请者, 请求者

 

1 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。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

4 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

5 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。