2007年VOA标准英语-UN Chief Praises Saudi Peace Proposal, Calls Pa

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
19 March 2007

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised a five-year old Saudi Arabian peace proposal as a  "pillar" in the search for Middle East peace. The Saudi plan is to be discussed later this month at an Arab summit in Riyadh. Mr. Ban spoke¹ about the plan in a one-on-one VOA interview as he prepares for his first trip to the Middle East as U.N. chief. VOA Correspondent Peter Heinlein talked to Mr. Ban, and filed this report.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Mr. Ban told VOA he is generally encouraged by recent Middle East developments. He pointed² in particular to the Mecca agreement that led to formation of a Palestinian national unity³ government.

At the same time, the secretary-general said he was disappointed at news that the Palestinian coalition⁴ has not endorsed⁵ the three basic peace principles set down by the Middle East Quartet.

Among the key stops on his 10-day visit will be in Riyadh, where a 2002 Saudi Arabian peace proposal will be reconsidered. It offers Israel full recognition by Arab States and permanent peace in return for a withdrawal⁶ to pre-1967 borderlines, the establishment of an independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a return of Palestinian refugees to lands lost in the 1967 war.

The plan was widely criticized at the time,not least because Israel has several objections to it. But both Israeli and American officials have recently noted⁷ that it contains positive elements. Secretary-General Ban says the Saudi plan has the potential to move forward the long-stalled peace process.

"I think the Arab peace initiative of 2002 by Saudi Arabia is one of the pillars, which will facilitate the peace process in the Middle East," said Ban Ki-moon. "It is encouraging that Americans and Israelis are now trying to revisit this Arab peace process. I know that there are still reservations shared by Israelis. But one cannot always be fully⁸ satisfied with one or two agreements. We must build upon these good principles."

As U.N. secretary-general, Mr. Ban leads one of the members of the Quartet, which also includes the United States, Russia and the European Union. His visit to the region coincides with a similar trip by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Mr. Ban says he hopes to meet her when they are both in Israel. Their agenda is expected to include the Arab peace proposal.

Mr. Ban said, however, that his hopes for the Saudi proposal were dampened somewhat by the new Palestinian unity government's refusal to accept international principles laid down by the Quartet, including recognition of Israel's right to exist.

"Initial reports coming from this national unity government seem to be a little bit disappointing," said U.N. secretary-general. "They have not clearly stated they will abide⁹ by these three principles. I urge that the national unity government will surely adhere to and respect principles laid out by the Quartet. It is important that parties concerned should respect the right to exist, particularly Israel's, and engage in dialogue without resorting to violence."

In addition to his stop in Saudi Arabia, the secretary-general's 10-day Middle East trip will take him to Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Notably¹⁰, he will not visit two other regional players, Syria or Iran.

The U.N. chief also says he hopes to convene¹¹ a meeting of the full Middle East Quartet sometime in April.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

10 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

11 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。