2007年VOA标准英语-Cyprus Offshore Oil Tender Could Raise Tension

By Nathan Morley
Nicosia
16 August 2007

Cyprus appears headed for a showdown with Turkey over Nicosia's plans to begin oil and gas exploration in the east Mediterranean¹.  Nathan Morley reports for VOA from Nicosia that Cyprus wants to issue exploration permits for 60,000 square kilometers of seabed near the island later this year.

According to the Greek-led government of Cyprus, in Nicosia, early data indicates there are oil and gas deposits in a sea area separating the island from Egypt to its south and Lebanon to its east.  The government proposes opening 11 areas for exploration, and it launched a bidding process in February for exploration rights to the area. Bids have to be filed by August 16, with permits being issued by the end of this year. 

Cyprus Foreign Minister Kozakou Marcoullis says there is interest from international companies in her government's tender.

"We would be very glad even if we had four or five or six interested companies, this is just the beginning," Marcoullis said. "Defiantly² there is oil, otherwise we would not have gone through this whole procedure.  I think this is why there is already a lot of interest from a number of countries and companies that will be participating with this tender."

But tensions in the region could intensify³ if the government of the divided island proceeds with plans to drill.  Breakway Turkish Cypriots in northern Cyprus have strongly objected to the move and say that any natural reserves discovered belong to both sides.  

Ban Ki-moon

Ankara has also stepped up its campaign to halt the process with a direct appeal to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Cyprus Commerce Minister Antonis Michaelides says the Nicosia government will not give in to Turkey's threats because its position is grounded in law.

He says there is a difference between a threat and its implementation⁴, which would violate the sovereign rights of a country.

Responding to the Greek-Cypriot move, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum⁵ Company has invited bids for oil and natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, off the northern coast of Cyprus. 

Many analysts⁶, including James Kerr Lindsay from Kingston University in London, predict a cooling of the already frosty relations between the two communities on Cyprus. 

"We have seen a continued ramping⁷ up of the rhetoric⁸ from the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey, both of which are arguing that in one way or another they should both have some sort of take on this," he said. "Obviously the Turkish Cypriots are making the case that as partners in the Republic of Cyprus, as co-owners, if you like, of the island of Cyprus; they have a right to these reserves.  There has been a cooling down in relations, and this really does pose the threat of turning relations extremely frosty."

The Greek-Cypriot administration signed agreements with Egypt in 2005 and Lebanon in early January this year delineating their sea boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean to facilitate future underwater oil and gas exploration.  

Foreign Minister Marcoullis also pointed⁹ out that what he called Turkey's posturing¹⁰ would not help its efforts to join the European Union.

"This behavior of course is not very much compatible with the behavior of a candidate country for accession to the European Union," he said. "Probably they have not realized that the European Union consists of 27 member states, which is a problem."

Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the island in response to a coup¹¹ in Nicosia backed by the Greek military government then in power in Athens. The self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey.

Attempts to re-unite the island have been at a standstill for three years, since a U.N.-backed unification referendum was rejected by Greek Cypriots in the south, but accepted by Turkish Cypriots in the north.

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

4 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。

5 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

6 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。

7 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

8 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

11 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。