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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
By David Gollust
Washington
13 February 2008
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday condemned1 implicit2 threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine, if the Kyiv government upgrades its relationship with NATO. Mr. Putin suggested Tuesday Ukraine could be targeted by Russian nuclear weapons. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
Rice, a Soviet3-affairs expert at the end of the Cold War era, says the current U.S.-Russian relationship has a number of positive aspects including cooperation on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.
But in Senate Foreign Relations Committee testimony4, she strongly condemned Moscow's pressure tactics against former allies seeking closer ties with NATO, underscored by Mr. Putin's comments on Ukraine Tuesday in Moscow.
Rice called the Putin comments "unhelpful and really reprehensible5" and said Moscow should realize it has no veto power over countries once in the Soviet bloc6 who want to affiliate7 with NATO:
"We are absolutely devoted8 to the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine and of other states that were once a part of the Soviet Union," she said. "The Soviet Union had all of these parts, but that was another point in time. It is gone forever, and I hope that Russia understands that."
At its April summit in Bucharest, NATO leaders will consider whether to grant aspiring9 members Croatia, Albania and Macedonia full membership, and whether to give former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia a preliminary affiliated10 status.
The Secretary was asked by ranking committee Republican Richard Lugar whether Mr. Putin should be invited to the Bucharest summit, given what he said was Russian bullying11 of various neighbors. Rice said the NATO-Russian Council, in which Mr. Putin would participate, would allow Moscow to see first-hand the unity12 of the alliance.
"It's very often an opportunity for the Russians to sit and recognize that the Baltic states are part of NATO and therefore enjoy the protection of Article Five [of the NATO Charter] and of the European and North Atlantic allies. So in that sense, these sessions tend not be ones in which the alliance is intimidated13 by Russia, but rather where a very strong message of alliance unity can be communicated," said Rice.
On another issue, Rice told senators she intends to appoint a full-time14 special U.S. envoy15 for energy issues, to focus in large part on critical resources in Central Asia.
Senator Lugar, a strong proponent16 of the envoy concept, said the posting is needed to counter Russian foreign policy, which he said is largely based on maximizing the political leverage17 Moscow has acquired through control of Eurasian energy supplies and transport.
1 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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2 implicit | |
a.暗示的,含蓄的,不明晰的,绝对的 | |
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3 Soviet | |
adj.苏联的,苏维埃的;n.苏维埃 | |
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4 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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5 reprehensible | |
adj.该受责备的 | |
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6 bloc | |
n.集团;联盟 | |
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7 affiliate | |
vt.使隶(附)属于;n.附属机构,分公司 | |
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8 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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9 aspiring | |
adj.有志气的;有抱负的;高耸的v.渴望;追求 | |
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10 affiliated | |
adj. 附属的, 有关连的 | |
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11 bullying | |
v.恐吓,威逼( bully的现在分词 );豪;跋扈 | |
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12 unity | |
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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13 intimidated | |
v.恐吓;威胁adj.害怕的;受到威胁的 | |
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14 full-time | |
adj.满工作日的或工作周的,全时间的 | |
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15 envoy | |
n.使节,使者,代表,公使 | |
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16 proponent | |
n.建议者;支持者;adj.建议的 | |
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17 leverage | |
n.力量,影响;杠杆作用,杠杆的力量 | |
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