2007年VOA标准英语-Rice Meets with Syrian Foreign Minister

By Challiss McDonough
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
03 May 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has met with her Syrian counterpart, Walid Moallem, on the sidelines of the Iraq stabilization¹ conference in Egypt.  It would be the first high-level diplomatic meeting between the two nations in several years.  But at the same conference, officials are saying it is unlikely that Rice will hold any substantive² talks with the Iranian foreign minister.  VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from Sharm el-Sheikh, where the conference is taking place.

Condoleezza Rice attends opening session of Iraq conference at Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, 03 May 2007

The meeting between Rice and Moallem lasted about half an hour.  Afterward³, the Syrian foreign minister called it "frank and constructive⁴."

"As I said, we discussed the situation in Iraq, how to achieve stability and security in Iraq, and we discussed also the bilateral⁵ relations between Syria and the United States," he said.

He said they did not discuss Lebanon, an issue that has been a wedge between the two states since the assassination⁶ of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri two years ago.

Rice called the meeting professional and businesslike, and said the two "did not lecture" each other. 

She said she raised the issue of foreign fighters entering Iraq through Syria, which has been a longstanding U.S. complaint.  Before the meeting, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said the Syrians had recently taken action on the issue, and there had been a reduction in the number of foreign fighters crossing the border in the last month.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian officials have downplayed the likelihood of substantive talks between Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki, who exchanged pleasantries over lunch, but are unlikely to hold a formal meeting.  Senior diplomats⁷ from Arab and Western countries say they have been encouraging the two to talk.   A U.S. official said they might meet in passing, but they would not discuss concrete issues.

Iran and the United States are key allies of the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, but Tehran and Washington have not had diplomatic relations with each other since 1980, and high-level meetings between the two governments are exceedingly rare.

Earlier optimism that Rice and Mottaki might meet on the sidelines was fading as the conference got under way.  Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said it was important just to get the two into the same room.

"I'm not going to get into details," he said.  "I think the very fact that all the regional actors and all the international players are gathered here to discuss the future of Iraq and to help Iraq achieve its own vision for political stability and economic prosperity is a very important signal."

At the opening session of the meeting, Rice and Mottaki sat in opposite corners of the massive conference hall.  In their addresses to the assembly, neither addressed the other directly, but they did make some of the same points, underscoring the fact that despite their differences, Iraq's security is of serious concern to both. 

Rice said a stable Iraq is in everyone's interest.

"All of us here today are bound to the future of Iraq," she said.  "What happens in Iraq has profound consequences which will affect each and every one of us, the nation of Iraq, its regional neighbors and indeed the entire international community. "

As neighbors, Mottaki said, Iran and Iraq have longstanding religious, historical and cultural ties.  He said Iran's security is linked to Iraq's, and the international community must support Iraq's efforts to stabilize⁸.

"Under the current circumstances in Iraq, the best way that we can assist the government and people of Iraq is to help them establish security, stability and national solidarity⁹, and to prevent actions that will lead to further escalation¹⁰ of sectarian violence and internal dissension," he said.

Both the United States and Iran have expressed concern about sectarian violence in Iraq, but each country considers the other to be a destabilizing force helping¹¹ to widen, not close, the sectarian divide.

Mottaki said Iraq's security problems are largely caused by, in his words, "the flawed policies of the occupying powers."

The U.S. military says it is finding evidence that weapons are being smuggled¹² to Iraqi Shi'ite insurgents¹³ from Iran.

The two nations are also at odds¹⁴ over a host of other issues, including Iran's nuclear program and support for the Lebanese militant¹⁵ group Hezbollah.

But the growing instability in Iraq has driven them to consider talks on Iraqi security issues, if nothing else.  Iraqi leaders, with close ties to both countries, have been pushing Tehran and Washington to set aside their differences and deal with each other.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett had her own meeting with Mottaki on the sidelines of the conference.  It was the first time the two have met face-to-face, and the first high-level diplomatic talks between the two countries since the crisis over 15 British naval¹⁶ personnel taken prisoner by Iran in late March.

Before the meeting, Beckett said, "There is every reason why there should be a constructive relationship with Iran, but that has to be a two-way street."  She said she is "not sure the Iranians at the moment fully¹⁷ realize that."

1 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

2 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

3 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

4 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

5 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。

6 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

7 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

9 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

10 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

13 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

14 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

15 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

16 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

17 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。