VOA标准英语2009年-Obama, Mubarak Optimistic About Mideast Pe

U.S. President Barack Obama and his visiting Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, have expressed optimism over the possibility of moving forward on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Mr. Mubarak has made his first visit to the White House in more than five years. Mr. Obama talked with Mr. Mubarak about efforts to move the Middle East peace process forward.
　
President Barack Obama meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, 19 Aug. 18, 2009

With reports that Israel is quietly moving to halt new housing projects in the West Bank, Presidents Obama and Mubarak spoke¹ of encouraging signs in Mideast peace efforts. Mr. Obama cautioned, however, that much more work lies ahead for Israel and the Palestinians.

"If all sides are willing to move off of the rut that we are in currently, then I think there is an extraordinary opportunity to make real progress," Mr. Obama said. "But we are not there yet."

President Mubarak also encouraged the Israelis and Palestinians to keep talking.

"We are speaking in a good manner, and we are moving into the right direction," Mr. Mubarak said. "But the two parties need to sit together, and this, then, will give hope that there is a possibility of finding a solution to the Palestinian issue."

Mr. Mubarak's visit to the Oval Office marks an improvement in U.S.-Egyptian relations. The two countries' ties had been strained over previous U.S. President George W. Bush's pressure on Egypt to improve its record on democracy and human rights.

Professor Denis Sullivan, director of the Middle East Center at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, says Mr. Obama's visit to Cairo in June was the first sign that relations between the two countries were improving.

"He was not just warmly welcomed, he was enthusiastically welcomed in Egypt, and continues to be a popular public figure, and there is great hope in Egypt for improved relations between the two countries," Sullivan said.

The Egyptian leader reassured² Mr. Obama that his government has started to enact³ democratic reforms, and will continue to do so.

Although Sullivan calls Mr. Mubarak's record on human rights and democracy "horrible," he says it is important for the U.S. and Egypt to maintain their 30-year strategic partnership⁴.

"This is where I think the Egypt-U.S. relationship is critical," Sullivan said. "From my vantage point, they do see eye-to-eye on the peace process as a whole, and how both countries are critical to advancing that peace process."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says Tuesday's meetings were part of the Obama administration's outreach to Arab countries as part of an effort to advance the Middle East peace process.

The two presidents also discussed Iraq and the Iranian nuclear program, as well as cooperative efforts on health, education and the economy.

 

1 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。

2 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。