2006年VOA标准英语-US, Britain Press Iran for Answer on Nuclear Of

By David Gollust
State Department
10 July 2006

The United States and Britain are pressing Iran for a definitive¹ reply to the proposal by major powers offering Tehran incentives² to halt uranium enrichment. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett met in Washington Monday in advance of critical meetings on the nuclear issue in Europe.

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Margaret Beckett (l) and Condoleezza Rice during a news conference at the State Department in Washington    
  
Rice and her British counterpart are urging Iran to respond affirmatively to the big-power proposal as diplomacy³ over the Iranian nuclear program enters a potentially-critical week.

European Union chief diplomat⁴ Javier Solana is due to discuss the offer with Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani for the second time in as many weeks in Brussels Tuesday.

A day later, Secretary Rice and her foreign minister colleagues from the five permanent U.N. Security council member counties and Germany will convene⁵ in Paris to review the Iranian response, if any, and discuss whether to continue pursing negotiations⁶ or seek punitive⁷ action against Tehran.

The P-5+1 submitted the proposal early last month, offering Iran civilian⁸ nuclear aid and other incentives, if it stopped uranium enrichment and returned to negotiations over its nuclear program.

The so-called "carrots and sticks" package contains at least the implicit⁹ threat of punitive action against Iran in the U.N. Security Council if it rejects the offer.

At a press appearance with Beckett, Secretary Rice said the proposal would be very beneficial for Iran in energy, trade and other areas, and that it is "really time" that Tehran provided an authoritative¹⁰ answer.

"There are really two paths here," said Condoleezza Rice. "We hope that the Iranians choose the path before them, for cooperation. But of course we can always return to the other path if we need to. And that path as described by the [Foreign] Secretary was of course the path to the Security Council. Now it's our great hope that we are going to get an authoritative answer, but this is something that we're going to take up and consider when we meet in Paris."

The Western powers, and particularly the United States, have said they want Iran to reply before the Group of Eight big-power summit in St. Petersburg next week.

But Iran has been evasive, with some officials in Tehran saying they need clarifications and that a response might not come until late August.

Foreign Secretary Beckett said if Iran has questions about the package, it should raise them now and not further delay the process.

"The Iranians have now had a good time to look very carefully and in-depth at what is, to be fair, a detailed¹¹ set of proposals," said Margaret Beckett. "They have said on a number of occasions, although not to us, but they have been reported as saying in the media, that there are questions, ambiguities¹². Fine. Let's get those ambiguities and questions resolved so that we can move toward negotiations."

Iran says it has a right to enrich uranium as part of a nuclear program it insists is entirely¹³ peaceful, while the United States and some European allies believe the program has a secret weapons component¹⁴.

1 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

2 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 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。

4 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。

5 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

8 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。

9 implicit   

a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的

参考例句：

• A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
• Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。

10 authoritative   

adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的

参考例句：

• David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
• Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼，同时又透着威严。

11 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

12 ambiguities   

n.歧义( ambiguity的名词复数 )；意义不明确；模棱两可的意思；模棱两可的话

参考例句：

• His reply was full of ambiguities. 他的答复非常暧昧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Fortunately, no ambiguities hang about this word or about its opposite, indeterminism. 值得庆幸的是，关于这个词和它的反义词，非决定论都不存在多种解释。 来自哲学部分

13 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

14 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。