2007年VOA标准英语-Georgia Authorities Confirm Arrest in Uranium S

By Mil Arcega
Washington, D.C.
29 January 2007
 
watch Georgian Uranium report

Georgian authorities have disclosed the arrest of a Russian man last year on charges of smuggling¹ contraband² uranium.  Russian scientists confirmed the radioactive material was weapons-grade uranium but they said the sample is too small to determine its origin. 

 
Vano Merabishvili
Georgia's Foreign Ministry³ in Tbilisi claims the Russian man sought one million dollars for a 100-gram sample of high-grade uranium. The ministry also said he promised larger quantities, enough for a small bomb, if the price was right. 

Vano Merabishvili, Georgia's Minister of Internal Affairs, told VOA's Russian service the man sold the sample to an undercover agent. "He brought it into Georgia for the purpose of further distribution to third countries.  This man was detained by our special forces.  We informed the press and shared all the information we had with our colleagues in Russia and in the United States."

 
Although the amount was very small, Georgian authorities say the material was enriched to more than 90 percent.  John Tefft, the U.S. ambassador to Georgia, says it could have been a tragedy  in the wrong hands.

 
Ambassador John Tefft
"While this was a hundred grams of highly enriched uranium, if you had a larger quantity of this, you know, it could become very, very dangerous for international security,” said the ambassador. “So it is something we take very seriously at the (U.S.) embassy and we work very hard on with the Georgian government, which is also taking it very seriously."

Georgian officials say the incident poses a grave threat to other countries and they requested a joint⁴ investigation⁵ involving U.S. and Russian authorities.  The case renews concerns about security at Russian nuclear sites and aggravated⁶ tensions between the two countries. 

 
Konstantin Zatulin
Russian parliamentary deputy Konstantin Zatulin believes the decision to publicize the incident one year later is a political maneuver⁷ aimed at discrediting⁸ Moscow while the country is discussing a nuclear deal with India. "I see only one reason to again return to the theme of mysterious Russian spies who are transporting uranium and plutonium and other such substances all over the world."

Georgian officials say the uranium was smuggled⁹ in from the Russian border into Georgia.  But Russian scientists say the sample was too small to determine its source.

1 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

2 contraband   

n.违禁品，走私品

参考例句：

• Most of the city markets were flooded with contraband goods.大多数的城市市场上都充斥着走私货。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods.海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

7 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

8 discrediting   

使不相信( discredit的现在分词 )； 使怀疑； 败坏…的名声； 拒绝相信

参考例句：

• It has also led to the discrediting of mainstream macroeconomics. 它还使得人们对主流宏观经济学产生了怀疑。

9 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网