2006年VOA标准英语-Rice: Consensus Grows on Referring Iran to

By David Gollust
Washington
05 January 2006

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday an international consensus¹ is growing for referring the issue of Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council. She gave no time-line but said the need for such action is becoming clearer.

------------------------------------------

Condoleezza Rice   
  

The United States, which maintains that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, has long held out the prospect² of a Security Council referral for possible sanctions if European efforts to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions fail.

In a breakfast talk with State Department reporters, Ms. Rice said a referral is not just an idle threat or saber rattling³, and that U.S.-led diplomacy⁴ has produced a consensus for such action "at the right time, at the time of our choosing".

"I think that what you're seeing is that people want the Iranians to decide whether or not they're prepared to live with a civil-nuclear structure that does not raise proliferation risks, or not," she said.  "And when it is clear, as it is becoming clear, that they are not prepared to do that, I think you'll have a very strong consensus behind a different course of action."

Ms. Rice said she hoped diplomatic efforts short of action in the Security Council are not exhausted⁵. However, she said that by failing to be responsive to nuclear initiatives by the EU-3 - Britain, France and Germany - and an alternate effort by Moscow, the Tehran government is increasing its own isolation⁶.

She said that process has been accelerated by threats against Israel and other recent statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who she said has seemed intent on reminding people why Iran never could be trusted with nuclear technology.

Ms. Rice drew a distinction between the current leadership in Tehran and the Iranian people, and said she wished there were ways by which the United States could interact with Iranians. "Nobody wants to isolate⁷ the Iranian people," she added.  "If there were ways to better engage and reach out to the Iranian people, I would love to see them. You know, soccer matches and musicians and university students and all of those things, because this is a great civilization and these are a great people. They happen to have a leadership that seems at this point to have chosen confrontation⁸ rather than cooperation with the international system."

The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979, when student militants⁹ invaded the U.S. embassy and held U.S. diplomats¹⁰ hostage for more than a year.

The two countries have had occasional political contacts, but cultural exchanges have been minimal¹¹.

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

3 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

4 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

5 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

8 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

9 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

10 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》

11 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。