2007年VOA标准英语-European Envoys Say N. Korea Eager to Engage on

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
27 June 2007

European Union officials have emerged from a diplomatic visit to North Korea with an upbeat assessment¹ of Pyongyang's commitment to start dismantling² its nuclear weapons. United Nations nuclear inspectors³ arrived in the North this week and may soon be given a first-hand look at the nuclear reactor⁴ they hope will be shut down within weeks. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

Hubert Pirker

European Parliament delegate Hubert Pirker has been to North Korea before. But he told reporters in Seoul Wednesday the time he spent there this week went much better than in the past.

"The talks we had were open, friendly and in a relaxed atmosphere, and, I can say, totally different from the talks we had in the last visits," he said.

Pirker and several other European envoys⁵ arrived in Seoul Tuesday night after four days of meetings with senior North Korean officials in Pyongyang. The meetings come less than a week after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill made his own visit to Pyongyang to push forward stalled diplomacy⁶ on the North's nuclear weapons programs.

Pyongyang promised to shut down its main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon by mid-April but refused to meet that deadline because of a financial dispute that was only finally resolved this Monday.

United Nations nuclear inspectors arrived in Pyongyang a day later. Media reports from Pyongyang say the team plans to visit Yongbyon on Thursday.

Pirker says his delegation⁷ feels confident North Korea is serious about living up to its pledge.

"We really had (an) impression that they are willing to immediately shut [the Yongbyon reactor] down," he said. "They promised to do so, so we can be optimistic."

The planned Yongbyon shutdown is the first phase of a broader agreement struck in February between North Korea, China, Russia, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Under the accord, North Korea is to receive emergency energy aid and diplomatic benefits.

In a notable departure from the past, Pirker says North Korea showed a genuine interest in having a dialogue about its human rights situation.

"This was the first time they accepted that we are urging the implementation⁸ of international standards of human rights," he said.

Researchers and advocates say North Korea is one of the world's worst abusers of human rights. But Pirker says officials in Pyongyang displayed none of what he calls the "aggressive" attitude about human rights that they displayed in previous discussions.

More six-nation talks about the North's weapons programs are expected to take place early next month, assuming the Yongbyon shutdown is completed. South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon departed Seoul Wednesday for meetings in Washington with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. U.S. officials say, if progress in the nuclear negotiations⁹ continue, Rice hopes to attend a six-nation ministerial meeting on the issue before the end of the year.

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

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 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

6 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

9 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。