VOA常速英语2008年-Carter Says Hamas Willing to Accept Peace Agree

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
21 April 2008

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter wrapped up a week-long trip to the Middle East Monday by telling a Jerusalem news conference that Hamas Islamic militants² are prepared to accept a negotiated peace agreement with Israel. VOA's Jim Teeple has details from our Jerusalem bureau.

Jimmy Carter says Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, and other senior members of the Islamic militant¹ group he met with in Damascus have told him they are willing to accept a peace agreement negotiated by the moderate Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas - if the agreement is approved by Palestinians in a referendum.

"They said they would accept a Palestinian state under 1967 borders if approved by Palestinians," Mr. Carter said. "And they would accept the right of Israel to live as a neighbor next door in peace, provided the agreements negotiated by Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas were submitted to the Palestinians for their overall approval - even though Hamas might disagree with some terms of the agreement."

Mr. Carter made his comments at a Jerusalem news conference wrapping up a nine-day trip to the Middle East. The former U.S. President was shunned³ by Israeli officials but he met with Palestinian moderates, Hamas militants and the leaders of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Israel strongly condemned⁴, and U.S. officials expressed displeasure at Mr. Carter's meetings with Hamas. Mr. Carter, who says his visit is strictly⁵ private, says Israel and Hamas are already in third-party talks aimed at trying to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. He says there is no point in criticizing his talks with Hamas because the group will have to be dealt with eventually.

"We believe that the problem is not that I met with Hamas and Syria, the problem is that Israel and the United States refuse to meet with these people who must be involved," he said.

Mr. Carter says direct talks between Israel and Hamas could speed up a proposed Palestinian prisoner release. Hamas has submitted the names of hundreds of prisoners Israel holds that Hamas wants released in return for freeing captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit - who Mr. Carter says will be allowed to send letters to his family. But Mr. Carter says Hamas rejected his call for a month-long unilateral truce⁶ with Israel.

Israeli officials say Mr. Carter's meetings with Hamas leaders undermine Palestinian moderates they are seeking to reach a peace agreement with. A spokesman for Israel's prime minister said Israel would have no comment on Mr. Carter's remarks.

A spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip told news agencies that Hamas would only support a referendum on a peace agreement with Israel if all Palestinians - including those in exile were allowed to vote on it. About four million Palestinians live in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and about another five million live in exile.

The spokesman also said that Hamas would view any Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as "transitional," and that Hamas has no plans to change its position of not recognizing Israel's right to exist.

1 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。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

6 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。