VOA标准英语2009-Obama: Demonstrators Reflect Growing Desire

U.S. President Barack Obama is continuing to call for an end to post-election violence in Iran. He said he does not want to intervene in the election dispute. The president said he senses a desire for change among the Iranian public.
　
President Barack Obama speaking at the White House, 16 Jun 2009

The president is responding cautiously to events in Iran.

He made clear the United States does not have a say in the choice of Iran's leaders, emphasizing that decision lies with the Iranian people.

"It's not productive, given the history of U.S.-Iranians relations, to be seen as meddling¹ - the U.S. president meddling in Iranian elections," he said.

But he said that does not mean he should remain silent about the violence that has erupted as protesters have taken to the streets to denounce the election results as fraud.

"When I see peaceful dissent² being suppressed, wherever that takes place, it is of concern to me and it's of concern to the American people. That is not how governments should react with their people," he said.

The president spoke³ in the White House Rose Garden Tuesday at the end of a press conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Once again, as he did during a session with reporters Monday, the president did not refer to any of the parties to the election dispute by name. He mentioned neither President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is declaring victory, nor reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has alleged⁴ election fraud.

Mr. Obama did not weigh in on the charges of vote-rigging. But he did say the demonstrators reflect a growing desire for change in Iran.

"I do believe that something has happened in Iran where there is a questioning of the kinds of antagonistic⁵ postures⁶ toward the international community that have taken place in the past, and that there are people who want to see greater openness and greater debate and want to see greater democracy," said Mr. Obama.

The president said how that plays out over the coming days and weeks is something ultimately for the Iranian people to decide. But he said he stands strongly with those who believe the voice of the people should be heard and not suppressed.

1 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

2 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

3 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。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 antagonistic   

adj.敌对的

参考例句：

• He is always antagonistic towards new ideas.他对新思想总是持反对态度。
• They merely stirred in a nervous and wholly antagonistic way.他们只是神经质地，带着完全敌对情绪地骚动了一下。

6 postures   

姿势( posture的名词复数 )； 看法； 态度； 立场

参考例句：

• Modern consciousness has this great need to explode its own postures. 现代意识很有这种摧毁本身姿态的需要。
• They instinctively gathered themselves into more tidy postures. 她们本能地恢复了端庄的姿态。