VOA常速英语2007年-EU Opposes Independence Plans by Kosovo's Elect

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
19 November 2007

The European Union is urging former Kosovo guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci, who appears to have won Saturday's election as prime minister, to hold back on any unilateral declaration of independence for the Serbian province. European Foreign Ministers made the appeal Monday at a meeting in Brussels, after Thaci promised ethnic¹ Albanian supporters he would be the prime minister of an independent Kosovo. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says a hasty move to declare independence from Serbia will further isolate² Kosovo, and jeopardize³ international support.

"Kosovo is already de facto independent from Serbia," he said. "I don't think Kosovo wants to be independent from the international community. They want to be defended, protected by NATO. They want to be supported in every other way by the European Union. I don't think he should make them independent from the international community."

Internationally supervised negotiations⁴ with Belgrade on the future status of Kosovo are scheduled to end on December 10. After his Democratic Party of Kosovo took the early lead in Saturday's elections, Hashim Thaci said he would declare Kosovo independent, in his words, "immediately" after the negotiations end.

Speaking to supporters in comments aired by the France24 television network, Thaci made clear he wants to be the prime minister of an independent Kosovo.

"Kosovo has gone one step further on the road to independence from Serbia," he said. "Today the citizens send a message to the world to say: "We are a democratic country, and we are ready to take our country towards the European Union."

 

Saturday's elections in Kosovo came ahead of another round of negotiations starting in Brussels on Tuesday between Serbs and ethnic Albanians on the province's future status. The talks are being facilitated by an international troika comprising the European Union, Russia and the United States.

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

3 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。

4 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。