VOA标准英语 Obama, Mexican President Discuss Drug Trafficking, B

President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon have pledged to work together to fight drug trafficking, border violence, environmental dangers and other shared challenges. The two leaders met at the country's presidential residence.
　
President Obama (left) with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, 16 Apr 2009

Emerging from a 1 1/2 hour meeting, Presidents Obama and Calderon announced a flurry of bilateral¹ understandings, proposals, and pledges on a wide range of issues.

President Obama said he has great admiration² for Mexico's leaders in their fierce and prolonged battle against drug traffickers. "But I will not pretend that this is Mexico's responsibility alone. The demand for drugs in the United States is what is helping³ to keep these cartels in business. This war is being waged with guns purchased, not here, but in the United States," he said.

Mr. Obama said he wants the U.S. Congress to ratify⁴ a treaty limiting U.S. gun exports to the Americas and continue funding for a program that would provide Mexico with military helicopters to assist in the drug war.

The president reiterated⁵ his support for reinstating the expired U.S. ban on assault weapons, but acknowledged Congressional resistance makes that unlikely. Instead, he pledged to boost enforcement of existing laws. "Trafficking illegal firearms, sending them across a border, is illegal. That is something that we can stop," Mr. Obama said.

President Calderon has repeatedly urged the United States to crack down on arms shipments south of its border, saying 90 percent of weapons in the hands of drug traffickers originate in the U.S.

The Mexican leader said the United States and Mexico must combine efforts to fight climate change and reduce carbon emissions⁶. He also hailed what he termed the complimentary⁷ nature of the two nations' economies, saying that both can be made more competitive through cooperation and integration⁸. To that end, he said he and Mr. Obama discussed ways to improve infrastructure⁹ along the U.S.-Mexico border to facilitate bilateral trade.

For years, Mexico has urged Washington to address the status of more than 12 million undocumented workers in the United States, more than half of whom are Mexican. President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing comprehensive immigration reform -- an initiative that appears stalled in the U.S. Congress.

"I am committed to fixing our broken immigration system in a way that upholds our traditions as a nation of laws, but also as a nation of immigrants. And I am committed to working with President Calderon to promote the kind of bottom-up economic growth here in Mexico that will allow people to live out their dreams here [in Mexico], and as a consequence will relieve some of the pressure that we have seen along the [U.S.-Mexico] border," he said.

Overall, President Calderon said his meeting with Mr. Obama was ground-breaking.

He said it was a historic event and that he is certain it will inaugurate a new era and a new relationship between the two countries.

After an overnight stay in Mexico, President Obama departs for Trinidad and Tobago Friday to attend the Summit of the Americas.

1 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

2 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

5 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

6 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

7 complimentary   

adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的

参考例句：

• She made some highly complimentary remarks about their school.她对他们的学校给予高度的评价。
• The supermarket operates a complimentary shuttle service.这家超市提供免费购物班车。

8 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。