VOA标准英语 Clinton Assures Support for Lebanon

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made an unannounced stop in Lebanon. Clinton expressed hope that Lebanon's June parliamentary elections will be free and fair.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Lebanon, on the heels of her trip Saturday to Baghdad, comes less than six weeks before parliamentary elections in early June.

The next parliament will be the second elected since Syria pulled its troops out of Lebanon in April 2005, following the assassination¹ of former Prime Minister Rafiq al Hariri. Many Lebanese politicians accuse Syria of his killing², which Damascus steadfastly³ denies.

The current parliament has had rocky relations with Syria, following a series of political assassinations⁴.
　
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, shakes hands with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, at the Lebanese Presidential Palace, in Baabda east of Beirut, Lebanon, 26 Apr 2009

Clinton met with President Michel Suleiman, but pointedly⁵ avoided meeting other political figures to avoid giving the impression the United States is supporting them.

"We certainly hope that the election will be free of intimidation⁶ and outside interference and that the results of the election will continue a moderate, positive direction that will benefit all of the people of Lebanon," she said.

The Secretary of State also noted⁷ the Lebanese people have endured a great deal during 15 years of civil war and unrest.

"I want to assure any Lebanese citizen that the United States will never make any deal with Syria that sells out Lebanon and the Lebanese people," she said. "You have been through too much."

Clinton also warned rival political forces, as well as outside meddlers that Washington would no longer tolerate political assassinations, which have been frequent in recent years:

"There needs to be an absolute end to an era of impunity⁸ for political assassinations in Lebanon," she said. "It can not and must not be used as a bargaining chip."

An international tribunal meeting in the Hague is investigating the slaying¹⁰ of former Prime Minister Rafiq al Hariri, as well as the deaths of a dozen other politicians and journalists, most of whom were opponents of Syria.

Lebanese American University Political Science Professor Sami Baroudi says he thinks Washington wants to make sure the parliamentary elections take place on time, and without outside meddling¹¹:

"It was kind of an unplanned visit, but it is an important indicator¹² that the Obama Administration has not lost interest in Lebanon, entirely," said Baroudi. "I think the position of the current administration is kind of clear to all parties, that the U.S. wants the elections, the U.S. is somewhat concerned about whether Hezbollah is going to have a stronghold over the government, but I think the primary message is that the U.S. wants the political process to work and elections to take place."

The Hezbollah party, which is supported by both Iran and Syria, enjoys veto-power in the current national unity⁹ government and a Hezbollah win in parliamentary elections would reinforce Syria's hand inside Lebanon.

1 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 steadfastly   

adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝

参考例句：

• So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

4 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

5 pointedly   

adv.尖地，明显地

参考例句：

• She yawned and looked pointedly at her watch. 她打了个哈欠，又刻意地看了看手表。
• The demand for an apology was pointedly refused. 让对方道歉的要求遭到了断然拒绝。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

9 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。

10 slaying   

杀戮。

参考例句：

• The man mimed the slaying of an enemy. 此人比手划脚地表演砍死一个敌人的情况。
• He is suspected of having been an accomplice in the slaying,butthey can't pin it on him. 他有嫌疑曾参与该杀人案，但他们找不到证据来指控他。

11 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

12 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。