VOA标准英语 Top UN Nuclear Official Optimistic About North Korea

The head of the United Nation's nuclear watchdog agency says he believes the international community's nuclear disagreements with North Korea and Iran can be resolved through dialogue, not confrontation¹.
　
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei in Beijing, 20 Apr 2009

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, says he believes there is no other way to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis than through dialogue.

Six-party talks are important tool

He said the so-called six-party talks, which include the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia, are the main negotiating mechanism². He says his agency has only been doing what he described as "ad-hoc verification" in North Korea.

Pyongyang recently announced it is pulling out of the six-party talks, and sent away IAEA inspectors³ who were there to monitor the North Korean nuclear program.

ElBaradei called the current stalemate an "unfortunate impasse," which he told reporters in Beijing he hopes will be brief. He referred to North Korea by its official initials, DPRK.

"Maybe we will have to go through a period of confrontation, if you like, but I hope that that will be short and that the six-party talks will be again resumed, and hopefully the IAEA will be able to go back and do, not just partial inspection⁴, but full inspection in the DPRK," ElBaradei said.

IAEA chief optimistic about future talks

ElBaradei said his optimism that talks will eventually resume is based on what he described as the "new environment" surrounding nuclear weapons, where dialogue is emphasized over confrontation.

He especially pointed⁵ to comments made recently by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev that both countries are set to discuss further reductions in their nuclear arsenals⁶.

"Another thing which I would like to repeat from President Obama, is he made it very clear, the relationship between non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament," he said. "And he said that we will not have the moral authority, the weapons states, to go after non-nuclear weapons states unless we ourselves take the necessary steps to move toward nuclear disarmament."

Policy shift also affects Iran

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said this change of approach is also having an effect on international efforts to resolve the nuclear crisis in Iran.

"The United States is reaching out, stretching its hand to Iran," said ElBaradei. "And I have been telling my Iranian colleagues that you have to reciprocate⁷ and also stretch your hand."

ElBaradei said he sees what he called a "new opportunity right now to resolve the Iranian issue," which he said could lead to the overall normalization⁸ of relations between Iran and the rest of the international community.

The IAEA chief spoke⁹ on the sidelines of a three-day ministerial-level conference on the global future of nuclear energy.

1 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

2 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

3 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

5 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。

6 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

7 reciprocate   

v.往复运动；互换；回报，酬答

参考例句：

• Although she did not reciprocate his feelings, she did not discourage him.尽管她没有回应他的感情，她也没有使他丧失信心。
• Some day I will reciprocate your kindness to me.总有一天我会报答你对我的恩德。

8 normalization   

n.（normalisation）正常化，标准化

参考例句：

• The visit signalled the normalization of relations between the two countries.这次访问显示两国关系已经正常化。
• He was pleased to the normalization of relationship between the police and the people.他很高兴警方和人民之间关系的正常化。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。