VOA常速英语2007年-US Envoy Makes Rare N. Korea Visit to Preview N

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
03 December 2007

A senior U.S. envoy¹ is in the North Korean capital to discuss Pyongyang's cooperation in efforts to peacefully end its nuclear weapons capabilities². The focus of the visit is to preview a promised declaration of all of the North's nuclear activities. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill arrived in Pyongyang Monday for a rare visit to North Korea, where he is scheduled to spend the next three days consulting with senior officials about the North's nuclear weapons capabilities.

Hill is the senior U.S. delegate to six-nation talks aimed at ending those nuclear capabilities diplomatically. Earlier this year, Pyongyang promised the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea and China it would declare all of its nuclear programs and materials as a step toward getting rid of them once and for all.

One of the main reasons for Hill's visit is to preview North Korea's nuclear declaration, which is expected to become formally available to all six nations. Before departing South Korea to fly to Pyongyang on a U.S. military jet, Hill told reporters he expects the North's document to be comprehensive.

"In the declaration, we have said all nuclear programs need to be declared and I think all means all," he said.

Hill says North Korea must address U.S. concerns about a possible secret uranium enrichment program which Pyongyang has never publicly admitted having. U.S. officials say senior North Korean authorities privately³ admitted to pursuing the program in 2002, in violation⁴ of a 1994 nuclear freeze agreement. North Korea restarted its plutonium-based weapons program within weeks after being confronted with U.S. evidence of the uranium program.

Hill says he has had extensive conversations with North Korean officials about the uranium issue, and expects to reach an understanding on it by the end of this year.

Hill is expected to visit the North's main plutonium-based nuclear facility at Yongbyon this week, to confirm the North's cooperation in disabling it in exchange for energy assistance.

However, experts say disabling Yongbyon is a relatively⁵ easy first step, compared with verifiably eliminating North Korea's existing stockpile of nuclear materials and weapons.

Hill says the United States has invested time and effort in building trust with North Korea - known formally as the DPRK. He says that trust must now be used to set up systems for verifying the North's nuclear disarmament.

"We need to be assured that we can verify what is done so as we go forward I believe there is an understanding by the DPRK that verification needs to be a part of any agreement," Hill said.

An announcement is expected any day now from Beijing, the host of the six-party talks, as to when the next round of meetings will take place. A new round could begin as soon as this week, after U.S. Assistant Secretary Hill travels to the Chinese capital from Pyongyang.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

4 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。