VOA标准英语2009-US Middle East Envoy Adds Stops in Beirut, D

The State Department said Tuesday U.S. Middle East envoy¹ George Mitchell is adding stops in Lebanon and Syria to his current mission to the region aimed at reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The Obama administration has sought to improve ties with Damascus.
　
US Middle East special envoy George Mitchell, (File)

The visit to Damascus by U.S. envoy Mitchell is another step in what has been a cautious effort by the Obama administration to draw Syria into diplomatic engagement after years of strained relations.

State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said Mitchell, on his fourth trip to the region since assuming the envoy post in January, will stop in Beirut Thursday and Damascus Friday and Saturday after Jerusalem-based meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Kelly said the visit to Syria is in line with President Barack Obama's commitment to outreach with regional adversaries², reaffirmed in his recent policy speech on U.S.-Islamic relations in Egypt.

"In many ways it's a follow-up to the President's speech in Cairo," Kelly said. "You know that this administration is committed to a broad-based comprehensive peace dealing³ with all the different players in the region. And we decided⁴ this was an appropriate time for Senator Mitchell to go to Syria. This is a very high priority for this administration and we're going to pursue this vigorously in the coming months."

The former Bush administration had largely shunned⁵ contact with Syria, accusing it of facilitating the transit⁶ of Islamic militants⁷ through its territory to Iraq, and of supporting extremists in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

The United States withdrew its ambassador from Damascus in 2005 following the assassination⁸ of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in which Syrian officials were implicated⁹.

But U.S. officials have lately credited Syria with tightening¹⁰ border controls with Iraq and largely refraining from interference in Lebanon's election process, which culminated¹¹ in this week's victory by the pro-Western "March 14th" coalition¹².

Mitchell's scheduled visit to Damascus was preceded by two trips there since March by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and White House National Security Council Middle East expert Daniel Shapiro.

Officials here say Mitchell, the former Senate Majority Leader and Northern Ireland peace negotiator, had obtained a Syrian visa several weeks ago but did not want to make the visit until after the Lebanese election.

U.S. officials Monday welcomed the Lebanese election outcome as an unambiguous victory for the March 14th movement over the Iranian and Syrian-backed opposition¹³ led by Hezbollah, which is listed by the United States as a terrorist organization.

A senior official said the United States would be happy to reconsider its policy on Hezbollah, if the Shiite group scrapped¹⁴ its militia¹⁵ wing and became a normal political party.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 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。

9 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

11 culminated   

v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• a gun battle which culminated in the death of two police officers 一场造成两名警察死亡的枪战
• The gala culminated in a firework display. 晚会以大放烟火告终。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

15 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。