VOA标准英语2008年-NATO Warns Russia to Adhere to Agreement, Remov

NATO foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels warn - no business as usual with Russia unless Moscow immediately withdraws its troops from Georgia and adheres to the peace plan it signed. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London the alliance also said it would deepen its relationship with Georgia.

The NATO meeting was designed as a show of unity¹ among alliance members - support for Georgia and condemnation² for Russia's military action.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said ministers sent a clear message.

"Which is most importantly support for Georgia's democracy, secondly³ a very strong message that the Russian president ought to keep his word and third, a very clear statement of principle from this alliance that a new line in Europe where Russia somehow asserts that there are those who cannot opt⁴ for a transatlantic future is unacceptable," she said.

NATO ministers announced humanitarian⁵ and political support for Georgia, including the establishment of a NATO-Georgia commission to deepen the relationship and help pave the way for Georgia's eventual⁶ entry into the NATO alliance.

Russia has been vehemently⁷ opposed to the increasing number of former Soviet⁸ satellites and east block countries opting⁹ to join the western alliance.

NATO has repeatedly called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from Georgian territory as mandated¹⁰ by the cease-fire plan that both Russia and Georgia have signed.
　
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband (L) talks with NATO Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop¹¹ Scheffer during NATO foreign minister meeting in Brussels, 19 Aug 2008

NATO Secretary-General Japp de Hoop Scheffer said until Russia complies, its relationship with the alliance would suffer.

"There can be no business as usual with Russia under the present circumstances and the future of our relations will depend on the concrete actions Russia will take to honor the words of President Medvedev to honor the six-point peace plan, which is not happening at the moment," he said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO meeting, Finland's foreign minister, Alexander Stubb, who is also chairman of the broader Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the OSCE is preparing to send unarmed monitors to Georgia.

"It means that we're sending immediately 20 political and military observers who are unarmed, who are basically there to observe the cease-fire and in that sense I would say that it's a crucial step in us stabilizing¹² the whole region," said Stubb.

Stubb said both Russia and Georgia have now agreed to the monitors and he said the OSCE is looking to send in up to 100 monitors in the days to come. Stubb said this will allow the organization to better monitor withdrawal¹³ progress on the ground.

Despite their strong condemnation of Russia for its military actions, NATO ministers say they want to keep the door to dialogue with Moscow open.

 

1 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

2 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

3 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

4 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

7 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

10 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

11 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

12 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

13 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。