2007年VOA标准英语-US Secretary of State Heading Back to Middle Ea

By Scott Stearns
State Department
22 March 2007

U.S. President George Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East Friday for talks in Egypt, Israel and Jordan aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

George W. Bush

President Bush says he is sending Secretary Rice back to the Middle East because securing peace there is a U.S. priority.

"She's going to continue our efforts to involve all parties -- the Palestinians, the Israelis, Arabs -- to work for a solution that will lead to peace, and that is a Palestinian state, living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security," said President Bush.

Rice is scheduled to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials, as well as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah.

President Bush says he has been in contact with regional allies to remind them of what he says is his strong commitment to the two-state solution.

"This will be hard work. It's not easy to get all parties headed in the right direction," he said. "But it's necessary work for this country, and it's necessary for our secretary of state, with my strong approval, to be moving the process forward."

Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah agreed on a unity¹ government earlier this month in Saudi-sponsored talks.

 

The Bush administration says it will have contacts with non-Hamas members of the new government. But the administration will not deal with Hamas, which it lists as a terrorist group, and which refuses to recognize Israel, renounce² violence and abide³ by past peace accords.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says his country is willing to make what he calls painful concessions⁴ to advance the long-stalled peace process.

He says a Saudi initiative calling for Israel to return all territory occupied in 1967 in exchange for normal relations with Arab neighbors could be a convenient basis for future talks.

1 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。

2 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

3 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。

4 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。