VOA标准英语10月-Five Countries Elected to UN Security Council

Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda have won non-permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council. They will serve two-year terms beginning in January. From United Nation's headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on Friday's election.
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U.N. Security Council

The vote, which takes place by secret ballot¹ in the U.N. General Assembly, saw seven countries officially competing for the five open seats. All 192-member states participated. Candidates needed a two-thirds majority or 128 votes to secure a seat.

The most hotly contested seats were for Western Europe. Austria and Turkey beat out Iceland for the two seats allocated² to this region.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said the strong support Turkey received showed the international community's confidence in Turkey, which is currently in negotiations³ to join the European Union. He said Turkey would continue to work to contribute to international peace and security in its new role.

"Our key works will be dialogue, diplomacy⁴, peaceful solution to conflicts," he said.

This will be Turkey's fourth time sitting on the council. Austria has served on the council twice before. This year was Iceland's first attempt to become a member. Some diplomats⁵ said privately⁶ that Iceland's bid was probably hurt by the recent collapse of its financial sector⁸.

For the Asian seat, Japan roundly defeated Iran. Japan received 158 votes, Iran only 32.

"I would like to highlight how fitting it is that Iran only secured 32 votes," said British Ambassador John Sawers. "Iran is a subject on the agenda of the Security Council - there are sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear program - and its comprehensive defeat -- a thrashing of Iran -- is a very important signal of whole membership's concern about Iran's actions."

Japan is a regional power and the second largest donor⁹ to the United Nations. It hopes to become a permanent member of the Security Council if that body is reformed and expanded.

The seats for Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean were uncontested.

Uganda's Ambassador, Francis Butagira, said his country hopes to become a bridge between big powers and smaller nations in reaching compromise. Uganda has been a contributor to U.N. peacekeeping missions in Darfur and Somalia and Ambassador Butagira said African issues would be high on Uganda's agenda.

"Since most conflicts are on the African continent, we hope to play a very active role toward resolution of those conflicts and maintenance of international peace and security," he said.

Mexico, which has served three previous terms on the council, was unopposed in its bid for the Latin America and Caribbean seat.

Nominations¹⁰ are not required, countries simply announce their intention to run, sometimes many years in advance. Consideration is given to an equitable¹¹ geographical¹² distribution and a candidate's contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security.

There are 15 seats on the council. Five are permanent veto-wielding members - China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States. Currently, the other five non-permanent members are Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam.

The five newly elected members will replace Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa, whose two-year terms conclude at the end of this year.

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

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 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。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

7 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

10 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

11 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

12 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。