2006年VOA标准英语-Southeast Asian Foreign Ministers say Burma Sit

By Heda Bayron
Kuala Lumpur
25 July 2006

Southeast Asian foreign ministers have opened their annual meeting with the political stagnation¹ in Burma casting a shadow over their goal of regional integration², and damaging ASEAN's credibility with the international community.

----------

Police officers guard entrance of Kuala Lumpur Convention Center where ASEAN summit meeting is being held   
  
In his opening speech to the meeting Tuesday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar emphasized the Association of Southeast Asian Nations's goal, of an integrated ASEAN community by 2020.

But more attention was on Burma, or Myanmar as it is now called, and to the failure of the Burmese military government to allow long-promised democratic reforms.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi on Tuesday expressed the frustration³ being felt by most ASEAN governments at the Burmese generals' intransigence⁴.

"In our region, the situation in Myanmar is impacting up on the image and credibility of ASEAN," he said. "Therefore we also hope that the government of Myanmar will take the necessary steps to enable Myanmar to soon move forward with the rest of ASEAN."

Ong Keng Yong  (file photo)  
  
ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong says Burma's intransigence has hurt ASEAN's relations with its major dialogue and trading partners - such as the United States and the European Union, both of which have imposed sanctions on Burma.

In an interview, Ong told VOA that the dilemma⁵ facing ASEAN is how to pressure the Burmese generals to allow democratic reform, without making them "walk away from the table" in anger.

The foreign ministers, he said, feel they have been misled by the Burmese leadership.

"(The) ASEAN habit of working together is never to be confrontational⁶ and make things difficult for any member country," he said. "But I sense that they (ministers) are really unhappy over what they see to be a leading up the garden path, and now there's no action, and they're left high and dry."

The ministers also issued a statement Tuesday condemning⁷ the fighting in the Middle East, and calling for an immediate⁸ cease-fire. They welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region as an "encouraging step."

Rice is expected at the ASEAN regional forum⁹ later this week.

The ministerial meeting, which also includes guest ministers from East Timor and Papua New Guinea, will later discuss regional economic and security issues. ASEAN has 10 members: in addition to Malaysia and Burma they include Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines.

1 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

2 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

3 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

4 intransigence   

n.妥协的态度；强硬

参考例句：

• He often appeared angry and frustrated by the intransigence of both sides.他似乎常常为双方各不相让而生气沮丧。
• Yet for North Korea,intransigence is the norm.不过对朝鲜来说，决不妥协是其一贯作风。

5 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

6 confrontational   

adj.挑衅的；对抗的

参考例句：

• Fans love rappers partly because they strike such a confrontational pose. 乐迷热爱这些饶舌艺人一定程度上是因为他们所采取的那种战斗姿态。 来自互联网
• You prefer a non confrontational approach when it comes to resolving disputes. 面对争端，你不喜欢采用对抗性的手段来解决。 来自互联网

7 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。