VOA常速英语2008年-US Nuclear Envoy Says Talks Possible in Next Fe

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
04 April 2008

The top nuclear negotiators for North Korea and the United States may meet next week to try to end the impasse¹ over stalled multinational² talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins has more from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and chief nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill told reporters in Jakarta Friday he might meet with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, in the coming days.

"I'm not in a position yet to confirm reports that you've all heard that we will be having meetings with my counterpart in the DPRK [Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea] except to say that we're obviously looking to try to wrap up the declaration very soon," he said.  "We don't have a lot of time; we really need to move on to the next phase if we're going to really achieve our goals."

Hill, who was in Jakarta for a brief visit Friday, told reporters if he meets with Kim Kye Gwan, it will not take place until after his visit to East Timor on Sunday.

The Six Party Talks between North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia stalled last December when Washington accused North Korea of failing to keep to a deadline for declaring all of its nuclear programs.

Pyongyang was required to submit a full and accurate declaration of its nuclear programs and materials by the end of 2007.

North Korea maintains it has met its obligations under the terms of the six-party agreement.

The United States also wants Pyongyang to reveal any weapons-grade uranium enrichment programs, and whether it has shared nuclear technology with Syria.

Hill criticized North Korea for increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula recently by test firing missiles, ejecting South Koreans from a shared industrial zone, and threatening to attack the South after Seoul warned it would launch a pre-emptive strike in response to nuclear attack.

"We have made very clear that the comments that were made in some cases by anonymous³ spokesmen of the Korea central news agency, the so-called KCNA, that those comments were very, in many cases, very inappropriate, and very unhelpful to the situation," he said.  "You know the DPRK needs to be reaching out to its neighbors and should not be engaged in that sort of comment."

Hill also told journalists he did not know if the recent harsh rhetoric⁴ against South Korea by North Korea would have any effect on the six-party talks.

1 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

2 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

3 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

4 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。