VOA常速英语2007年-US Says More Talks Needed on North Korea Nuclea

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
07 December 2007

The senior U.S. delegate to multinational¹ talks aimed at dismantling² North Korea's nuclear capabilities³ says more discussions are needed before North Korea produces a formal declaration of its nuclear programs. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, where South Korean officials are praising an unprecedented⁴ high-level outreach to North Korea by President Bush.

South Korean Foreign Ministry⁵ Spokesman Cho Hui-young told reporters Friday that Seoul welcomes President Bush's letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. He says the letter shows President Bush's determination to support the process of North Korea's denuclearization.

North Korean broadcasters have been confirming Kim Jong Il's receipt of the letter, after first announcing it Thursday night. Prior to the North Korean announcement, U.S. officials and their regional partners made no mention of such a letter.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill delivered the letter last week in Pyongyang. Hill is Washington's representative at multinational talks to end North Korea's nuclear arsenal⁶ by diplomatic means.

He told reporters during a stop in Tokyo Friday North Korea is "quite on schedule" in disabling key nuclear facilities, as it promised South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the United States it would do as part of a multi-stage agreement. He says the North will soon advance that process by removing spent fuel from its main reactor⁷ at Yongbyon.

However, Hill says more discussions are needed before North Korea fulfills⁸ another part of the agreement by producing a full declaration of all its nuclear facilities, materials, and existing weapons.

The United States has insisted the North account for an alleged⁹ uranium enrichment program Pyongyang has never publicly admitted. It also wants North Korea to address Washington's concerns about the possible transfer of nuclear equipment and technology to Syria.

White House officials say Mr. Bush's letter urged Kim Jong Il to make a full and accurate declaration of its nuclear activities, and said the U.S. will know if North Korea leaves the declaration incomplete.

Cheon Ho-seon, a spokesman for South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, says South Korea played a significant role in the White House decision to send the letter. He says U.S. envoy¹⁰ Hill did not have the letter when he was in Seoul, shortly before leaving for North Korea. He says the idea to send the letter arose during Hill's consultations¹¹ with South Korean officials.

The White House has not released the full contents of Mr. Bush's letter to Kim Jong Il, but say it underscores Washington's view that the six-nation negotiations¹² are at a critical juncture¹³.

1 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

2 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

3 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

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 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。

6 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

7 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

8 fulfills   

v.履行（诺言等）( fulfill的第三人称单数 )；执行（命令等）；达到（目的）；使结束

参考例句：

• He always fulfills his promises. 他总是履行自己的诺言。 来自辞典例句
• His own work amply fulfills this robust claim. 他自己的作品在很大程度上实现了这一正确主张。 来自辞典例句

9 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

10 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。

11 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 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。

13 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。