VOA常速英语2007年-Israel, Palestinians Commit to Seek Peace Accor

By David Gollust
Annapolis
27 November 2007

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed Tuesday to make every effort to conclude a two-state peace accord by the end of next year. The commitment was announced by President Bush at the formal opening of the Annapolis Middle East peace conference. VOA's David Gollust reports from Annapolis.

The main participants in the conference wasted no time in announcing their expected agreement to mount a drive for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord by the end of President Bush's term in office.

In an address opening the meeting, bringing together senior officials of nearly 50 countries and international organizations, Mr. Bush read a joint¹ statement committing the sides to "propagate a culture of peace and non-violence"and to engage in immediate² final-status peace negotiations³.

"In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, we agreed to immediately launch good faith bilateral⁴ negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues including all core issues as specified⁵ in previous agreements," he said. "We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing⁶ and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008."

Mr. Bush said the sides will set up a steering⁷ committee to meet continuously starting December 12 to advance the process, to be supplemented by meetings every two weeks of President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert.

The parties further agreed to fulfill⁸ obligations under the 2003 road map of the international Middle East "quartet" - the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - under a process to be monitored by the United States.

Though the current situation is clouded by among other things, the split in Palestinian ranks that has left the radical⁹ Islamic movement Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip, Mr. Bush said the time is right for the initiative. He said a battle is underway for the future of the Middle East and that victory must not be ceded¹⁰ to the extremists.

The obstacles to a peace accord were underlined in ensuing speeches by the two principals. Prime Minister Abbas stressed the need to resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees in all its dimensions and the Palestinians' insistence¹¹ on having the capital of their state in east Jerusalem.

Mr. Abbas cast the Annapolis meeting as a critical turning point for the region and said conditions for peace are unlikely to be as favorable if the current effort fails.

"Our region stands at a crossroads that separates two historical phases," he said. "A pre-Annapolis phase and a post-Annapolis phase. In other words, this extra-ordinary huge opportunity provided today by the Arab, Islamic and international position, and the over-whelming support from the public opinion in both the Palestinian and Israeli societies for the need to exploit the occasion of this conference that would launch the negotiating process and no to do away with the potential it carries - I say that this opportunity might not be repeated."

Mr. Abbas stressed his commitment to Gaza Palestinians, where humanitarian¹² conditions have deteriorated¹³ under Hamas rule. Without mentioning Hamas by name, he pledged to Gazans that "your hours of darkness will end."

Prime Minister Olmert, for his part, stressed Israel's commitment to the peace process despite Palestinian terror attacks in recent years and the continuing rocketing of parts of southern Israel by extremists in Gaza.

Mr.Olmert said settling the decades-old conflict will be painful for all those involved but is none-the-less inevitable¹⁴.

"I believe there is no path other than the path of peace," he said. "I believe there is no just solution other than the solution of two national states for two people. I believe there is no path that does not involve painful compromise for you, the Palestinians, and for us the Israelis."

The product of months of diplomacy¹⁵ by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the conference includes key Muslim countries and many Arab states that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Mr. Olmert said Israel aspires¹⁶ to have normal relations with all of them, and urged the broader Arab world to end what he termed their "boycott¹⁷ , alienation¹⁸ and obliviousness¹⁹" toward the Jewish state.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

5 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

8 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。

9 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

10 ceded   

v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Cuba was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898. 古巴在1898年被西班牙割让给美国。
• A third of the territory was ceded to France. 领土的三分之一割让给了法国。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

14 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

15 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。

16 aspires   

v.渴望，追求( aspire的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The fame to which he aspires was beyond his reach. 他追求的名誉乃是他所不能及的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand li. 老骥伏枥，志在千里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

18 alienation   

n.疏远；离间；异化

参考例句：

• The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters.新政策导致许多选民疏远了。
• As almost every conceivable contact between human beings gets automated,the alienation index goes up.随着人与人之间几乎一切能想到的接触方式的自动化，感情疏远指数在不断上升。

19 obliviousness   

参考例句：

• Her obliviousness of what was happening in Germany seems extraordinary. 真没想到她对德国正在发生的事情居然一无所知。 来自柯林斯例句