2006年VOA标准英语-Israel Lifts Blockade of Lebanon Airports

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
07 September 2006
 
Watch Blockade Lifted report

Israel lifted its blockade of Lebanon's airports late Thursday, but in a last-minute decision, decided¹ to wait at least 48 hours before lifting its naval² blockade on Lebanese ports. The decision to ease the air and sea blockade on Lebanon is generating opposition³ in Israel.

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Co-pilot of Middle East Airlines plane from Paris, the first to arrive in Lebanon after air blockade lifted, waves a Lebanese flag from cockpit window after landing at Rafik Hariri International Airport, Sept. 7, 2006  
  
Nearly two months after it imposed an air and sea blockade on Lebanon, Israel allowed commercial flight operations to resume at Beirut's international airport late Thursday. However, Israeli officials say their plans to ease a naval blockade on Lebanon have been put on hold for at least two days to allow time for an international naval force to take up positions along Lebanon's coast.

Lebanese officials say the blockade has cost their country $50 million a day, as the country's main airport and all its major ports remained closed, three weeks after a U.N.-mediated ceasefire went into effect, ending the 34-day conflict in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Wednesday he was lifting the blockade, after receiving assurances from U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that international forces were in position to monitor Lebanon's airports and seaports⁴. Israel says it will maintain a land blockade on Lebanon to prevent weapons-smuggling to Hezbollah. 

A Lebanese fisherman, Jamal Belbasi, stands on his wooden boat, preparing his nets to go out to sea at night in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon  
  
The decision to lift the air and sea blockade is not popular in Israel. Israeli newspapers report that Israeli military commanders opposed easing the blockade, until Hezbollah militants⁵ released two Israeli soldiers they captured during a deadly July 12 raid that sparked the current crisis. The families of the soldiers have also voiced opposition to the move.

Miri Eisen, a spokeswoman for the prime minister's office, says Israel expects Lebanon to fulfill⁶ its obligations under U.N. resolution 1701 that ended the conflict to bring about the release of the two soldiers.

"Israel sees this, as does the U.N. secretary general, and we assume Lebanon, as a fixed⁷ menu and not a buffet⁸. We are going to implement⁹ all of the articles within [1701], including the unconditional¹⁰ return of the soldiers," said Eisen. "It is part of 1701 that the United Nations and the Lebanese government, as part of the implementation¹¹, are fully¹² committed, and we have demanded the unconditional return."

The easing of the blockade came after nearly a week of shuttle diplomacy¹³ by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in the region.

Under the agreement to ease the blockade, German navy ships will eventually patrol the Lebanese coast, with the mission of preventing weapons shipments to Hezbollah. So far, about 3,000 U.N. peacekeepers have taken up positions in southern Lebanon. U.N. officials say they hope to have as many as 5,000 troops in Lebanon by the end of next week, as part of an eventual¹⁴ 15,000 strong contingent¹⁵.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

9 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

10 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

11 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

12 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

13 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。

14 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

15 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。