VOA标准英语2008年-Bush Heads to Gulf States on Second Half of Mid

By Paula Wolfson
Jerusalem
10 January 2008

After talks in Jerusalem and on the West Bank, President Bush is getting ready to embark¹ on the second half of his Middle East tour. VOA White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson reports he is heading to five Arab states to encourage support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and urge unity² on Iran.

The president's trip next takes him to Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. He calls them five key U.S. allies in the Arab world.

"I will thank the leaders of these countries for their friendship. I will urge them to strongly support negotiations³ between the Israelis and Palestinians," he said. "I will discuss the importance of countering the aggressive ambitions of Iran. And I will assure them that America's commitment to the security of our friends in the region is strong and enduring."

It is an ambitious agenda, and the president will have only six days to try to build support in these countries.

Regional experts expect no breakthroughs. But most, like Jon Alterman of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, say it is important for the president to reach out to these Arab leaders. Alterman says that is certainly the case when it comes to the president's effort to forge a strong international stand on Iran.

"The Gulf⁴ states can seriously undermine U.S. efforts to isolate⁵ Iran. The Gulf's inclination⁶ is to try to engage with Iran. I think there is a strong sense in the Gulf states that the conservatives are in the process of beating back the radicals⁷ [in Iran], and this is a process that takes time," said Alterman.

There is also concern in the Gulf about a recent U.S. intelligence report that says Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program but ended it in 2003. President Bush has said he will stress in his talks that Iran could resume that program at any time and remains⁸ a threat.

He is also expected to urge Arab governments to give their people greater freedoms and encourage more openness.

White House National Security Advisor⁹ Stephen Hadley says that will be the focus of the only speech of the trip - an address this Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

"He will talk about the progress we have seen in the Gulf, the progress of the freedom agenda in the region, emerging economic progress, and how regional security is important for both continued economic growth and the spread of freedom," said Hadley.

Jon Alterman says the message is important.

"I think one of the positive things in the UAE that the president will point to is this sense of openness to engagement with the world. And part of the president's concern about the Middle East is the sense that this is a place that is deeply xenophobic [fears foreigners]," continued Alterman. "But one of the positive messages out of the UAE is here is a place with both Abu Dhabi and Dubai that has not been xenophobic, which seems to be a place that fosters moderation."

The president will take time out from his meetings with Arab leaders to visit American soldiers and sailors at an army base in Kuwait, and a U.S. naval¹⁰ center in Bahrain. He will be joined in Kuwait by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and the senior American diplomat¹¹ in Baghdad, Ambassador Ryan Crocker for a review of the situation in Iraq.

1 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 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。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

6 inclination   

n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好

参考例句：

• She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
• I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

7 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

10 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。

11 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。