VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistan, Indian Foreign Ministers Meet in Effo

With tensions increasing in the disputed Kashmir region, the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan met in the Sri Lankan capital for a closed-door discussion on the sidelines of a regional summit. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from Colombo.

It was all smiles as Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart emerged from an hour-long talk behind closed doors.

Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have become strained recently. There have been clashes on their disputed Kashmiri border and a bomb blast in early July at the Indian embassy in Kabul in which 41 people died.

Afghanistan blamed the attack on the Pakistani intelligence service, and Indian media have pointed¹ a finger at Islamabad for being behind last week's serial² bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

Indian and Pakistani officials say Qureshi and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee discussed all relevant issues.

Qureshi says, as a result, tensions have eased considerably³.

"A lot of steam has been let out of the pressure cooker. And didn't you see us smile," he asked. "I will always want to walk into a room with my Indian counterpart . But most important I would like to walk out smiling, and I walked out smiling."

Earlier, standing⁴ beside Qureshi at a brief appearance for reporters, the Indian foreign minister was more circumspect⁵.

Pranab Mukherjee says details of their discussion will not emerge until after their two prime ministers meet Saturday.

"We will first brief the prime ministers and after the meeting of the prime ministers we will be in a position to give you the details," he said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani are to hold their first face-to-face talks during the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. They will be the highest-level talks between the two countries in 15 months.

Earlier this week, India accused Pakistani troops of crossing the Line of Control where a cease-fire has been in place for eight years. Pakistan has rejected the claim.

Kashmir has been the catalyst⁶ for two of the three wars fought between India and Pakistan.

 

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

3 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 circumspect   

adj.慎重的，谨慎的

参考例句：

• She is very circumspect when dealing with strangers.她与陌生人打交道时十分谨慎。
• He was very circumspect in his financial affairs.他对于自己的财务十分细心。

6 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。