voa标准英语2008-Bush, Abbas Claim Progress in Mideast Peace Talk

U.S. President George Bush and visiting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas say the Middle East peace process is heading in the right direction, even though the Palestinians and Israelis still do not have an agreement.
　

President George W. Bush (r) greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., 19 Dec 2008

President Bush said that Mideast peace is a hard challenge, but "a good deal of progress" has been made.

Before meeting with Palestinian President Abbas at the White House, Mr. Bush said the world is recognizing that a two-state solution, reached through negotiations², is the right path for Middle East peace.

"I was pleased to note that the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution which confirms that the bilateral³ negotiation¹ process is irreversible, is a path to a Palestinian state and a path to peace in the Middle East," he said.

Speaking through a translator, Mr. Abbas thanked President Bush for supporting the idea of an independent Palestinian state.

"You were the first sitting president who accepted as a policy the establishment of two states, the state of Israel and the state of Palestine, living next to each other in peace and security," he said. "And this policy has become a reality in every corner of the world."

Neither leader mentioned Thursday's statement by the Palestinian militant⁴ group Hamas that it would no longer honor a ceasefire with Israel.

However, Mr. Abbas, whose Fatah faction⁵ was expelled from Gaza by Hamas and now only controls the West Bank, said there is no doubt that the Palestinians will stick with the peace process.

"Because we are committed to the peace process, and this is not a slogan or a rhetorical commitment," he said. "We are practically committed to the peace process."

Mr. Abbas said Mr. Bush has laid the foundation for all future progress toward Mideast peace, and he expressed optimism about working with the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

1 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

2 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。

3 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

4 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

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。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。