2007年VOA标准英语-Rice: US-India Nuclear Deal Can be Complete by

By David Gollust
State Department
27 June 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday she believes a U.S.-Indian nuclear cooperation deal can be completed by the end of the year. First proposed two years ago, the ground-breaking accord has been slowed by policy disputes. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Condoleezza Rice, 18 Jun 2007

Rice is acknowledging that the process has been more difficult than expected. But she says with the proper commitment by the two sides, the remaining obstacles to the nuclear accord can be resolved by the end of the year.

First proposed by the United States in July of 2005, the nuclear pact¹ would allow India access to U.S. civilian² nuclear technology, overturning a decades-old ban resulting from India's refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Under the deal intended as the cornerstone of a new U.S.-Indian partnership³, India is to separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities and allow an international inspection⁴ regime in return for nuclear technology and fuel supplies.

The sides finished a round of high-level talks in New Delhi earlier this month, with India resisting proposed terms that would limit its right to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and allow the United States to halt cooperation if India tested a nuclear weapon.

Addressing a meeting of the U.S.-India Business Council in Washington, Rice said if the process had been easy it would have been completed a long time ago. But she said she remains⁵ confident it eventually will be:

"I think that this is a win-win if ever there were one," she said.  "And I know that it has broken some of the old taboos⁶ about how to deal with this problem. But I'm quite confident that if we keep after it, if we stay faithful to the agreements that our leaders signed, if we stay faithful to the legislation we have passed, we can work out the implementing⁷ agreement, we can get the approval of our Congress and ratification⁸ in India, and we can move forward."

Rice said the rest of the world is watching the nuclear talks, which she said, if successful, would put the United States and India on course to "a tremendous future," not just in the nuclear field, but others as well.

The Secretary also told the business group the two countries should do more to advance the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization negotiations⁹.

The talks, which began in 2001, have been stalled over a divide between industrial nations and developing countries.

The latter, led by India and Brazil, criticize the United States for failing to offer deep enough cuts in farm subsidies¹⁰.

The United States and European Union, meanwhile, say the major developing states are refusing to offer new opportunities for their manufacturing exports.

Rice said the failure of the Doha talks would be a historic missed opportunity and a tragedy.

1 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 taboos   

禁忌( taboo的名词复数 )； 忌讳； 戒律； 禁忌的事物（或行为）

参考例句：

• She was unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos. 她被藩蓠、法律及外来的戒律赶下了马。
• His mind was charged with taboos. 他头脑里忌讳很多。

7 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

8 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

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。

10 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》