2006年VOA标准英语-Rice: It's Time for Sanctions Against Iran

By David Gollust
State Department
04 October 2006

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday Iran will not suspend uranium enrichment and it is time for the U.N. Security Council to move on sanctions against Tehran. Rice is expected to meet with fellow foreign ministers from the other permanent Security Council member countries and Germany on the issue as early as this week.

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Condoleezza Rice

Though a Security Council deadline for Iran to halt enrichment expired August 31, the major powers allowed a dialogue between the European Union and Tehran to continue.

But EU chief diplomat¹ Javier Solana declared Wednesday that "endless hours" of talks with Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larajani have failed to make any progress.

And Secretary Rice says it is time for the international community to "act accordingly" and move ahead on the sanctions threatened by the Security Council in Resolution 1696.

At a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank, Rice said she shares Solana's bleak² assessment³, and that it is a time for both Iran and the Security Council to make a decision.

"I think we have come to a time when the Iranians have to make their choice, and the international system has to act accordingly," she said.  "And it seems to me that acting⁴ accordingly is very much spelled out in Resolution 1696. That means action under Article 41 of Chapter Seven [of the U.N. Charter]."

Rice said the world community has been more than patient with Iran, not only in the Solana-Larijani discussions, but in talks between Iran and Britain, France and Germany dating back to their October 2003 agreement in Paris.

She said the logic⁵ of finally halting the open-ended negotiating process has become quite evident and that, she said, "is what we are going to have to do."

Rice said the so-called P-5 Plus 1 grouping may hold a ministerial-level meeting on a sanctions push as early as this week. News reports have said the gathering⁶ could be held in London Friday.

Iran this week floated an idea under which it would continue to enrich uranium on its soil under a consortium arrangement with France.

But the idea was rejected by the major powers, including France, with Rice Tuesday calling it a "stalling technique."

The secretary said in Cairo the United States was willing to accept a Russian proposal to furnish enriched uranium for Iranian civilian⁷ nuclear power plants.

But she said Iran itself should not be in a position to enrich and reprocess uranium, which she said is the "most important step" in developing a nuclear weapon.

U.S. diplomats⁸ say that despite the stated reluctance⁹ of Russia and China, there is a consensus¹⁰ for an early move to sanctions starting with curbs¹¹ on Iran's ability to acquire weapons-related technology.

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 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》

9 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

10 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？

11 curbs   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In executing his functions he is not bound by any legal curbs on his power. 在他履行职务时，他的权力是不受任何法律约束的。 来自辞典例句
• Curbs on air travel were being worked out and would shortly be announced. 限制航空旅行的有关规定正在拟定中，不久即将公布。 来自辞典例句