2007年VOA标准英语-Bush, Putin to Meet in Attempt to Ease Tensions

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
29 June 2007

President Bush has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Bush family home this weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine. The meeting, in a secluded¹ and relaxed oceanside setting is designed to reduce recent tensions between Russia and the United States. VOA Moscow correspondent Peter Fedynsky looks at the Russian perspective on chances for success in Kennebunkport.

President Bush, center, chats with his mother, Barbara Bush, wearing hat, and others after arriving in Kennebunkport, Maine, 28 Jun 2007

Friday's edition of the Russian newspaper Izvestia devotes more than half a page not only to the Bush-Putin meeting, but also to the impact its location may have on the substance of the talks.

The article, complete with a color photograph of the Bush family home, quotes the first president Bush as saying former first lady Barbara Bush told her son, the current president, not to put his feet on the table.

That detail is used to suggest that the family home is neutral territory, unlike the Texas ranch² of the American president or Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. Izvestia says those venues³ have "exhausted⁴ their positive image" just as U.S.-Russian relations have taken a negative turn.

Alexander Khramchekhyn, research director at Moscow's Institute for Political and Military Analysis, told the VOA that the two presidents hope to prevent further deterioration⁵ of ties.

Khramchekhyn says neither president, because of the personal connection, wants to completely spoil Russian-American ties. The analyst⁶ notes that until recently, personal relations between Presidents Bush and Putin were good.

President Bush, (l), shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their meeting at the G8 in Heiligendamm, Germany, 07 Jun 2007

A top priority on the Bush-Putin agenda is expected to be an American plan to deploy⁷ a missile defense⁸ system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Washington says the system is designed to guard against a possible attack by Iran. The Kremlin says it threatens Russia's security. Alexander Khramchekhyn rejects such fears for now, but says the system could be converted later into an offensive instrument against Russia. The analyst also suspects that Kremlin leaders may be using the missile issue to maintain power.

Khramchekhyn says the issue is also a propaganda tool. In other words, we will stop talking about your missiles if you stop talking about our democracy.

And the democratization of Russia is a concern for Washington. Senior U.S. officials have highlighted Kremlin pressure on Russia's non-governmental organizations, as well as independent media and political parties.

Another issue likely to be discussed at Kennebunkport is Kosovo, the predominately ethnic⁹ Albanian province of Serbia. Washington supports a Western plan to grant supervised independence to Kosovo. Moscow, a traditional Serbian ally, is opposed. Some analysts¹⁰ say the Kremlin wants to avoid setting a precedent¹¹ of internationally-supervised independence, which some of Russia's independence-minded regions could demand.

Whether any of these issues will be resolved in Kennebunkport is uncertain. Izvestia says the meeting is planned not so much to resolve problems, but to lower the tension around them. Alexander Khramchekhyn says that given the poor state of relations, the fact that the two leaders are meeting at all should be considered a success.

1 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

3 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

4 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

5 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。