VOA标准英语2009年-US Resists Direct Talks with N. Korea

The Obama administration reaffirmed Tuesday it is not interested in talks with North Korea outside the framework of Chinese-sponsored six-party negotiations¹ on that country's nuclear program. South Korean news reports say Pyongyang has invited two U.S. senior diplomats² to visit next month.

At the same time, South Korean media say the country's Red Cross delegation³ is due to travel to North Korea Wednesday for talks on resuming reunions of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The State Department says the United States wants talks with North Korea but only in the framework of nuclear negotiations Pyongyang quit earlier this year in anger over international criticism of an attempted satellite launch.

After several months of tension during which it conducted a second nuclear test and rolled back disarmament steps, North Korea has recently made conciliatory gestures toward the United States and South Korea, including the release of two American journalists jailed for illegally entering its territory.
　
N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson (C) meets with N. Korean Minister Kim Myong Gil (R) and advisor⁴ to the Gov., K. A, Tony Namung in Santa Fe, 19 Aug 2009

Two North Korean diplomats who visited New Mexico state governor and occasional U.S. diplomatic troubleshooter Bill Richardson last week told him they believe Pyongyang is owed bilateral⁵ talks with Washington because of its recent gestures.

South Korean newspapers said Tuesday Pyongyang has invited U.S. North Korea envoy⁶ Stephen Bosworth and U.S. six-party talks chief delegate Sung Kim to visit next month.

But at a news briefing here, State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said having a discussion channel outside the six-party framework would disenfranchise the other participants in the nuclear talks, South Korea, Japan, Russia and host China.

"We would welcome talks with North Korea but only in the context of multi-lateral talks," he said. "What we're concentrating on right now is consulting with our four-party partners on what the best way forward is in reaching our goal, which is getting North Korea to return to the six-party talks with the ultimate goal of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," he added.
　
US Special Rep. for N. Korea Stephen Bosworth (L), and US nuclear negotiator Sung Kim (R) (file photo)

Kelly would not say if a formal invitation for a visit by diplomats Bosworth and Kim had been received, but said the United States has various channels of communication with Pyongyang and that it is no secret North Korea would like such talks.

The spokesman said he expects Bosworth, who was part of the official U.S. delegation to Sunday's funeral of the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, to return to the region soon but with no plans to visit North Korea.

Kelly at one point in the briefing said the United States would sit down with North Korea if it agreed to return to the nuclear talks, but later called such a scenario⁷ speculative⁸.

North Korea agreed in principle in 2005 to scrap⁹ its nuclear program including weapons in return for aid and diplomatic benefits from other parties to the talks. But the process broke down last year in a dispute over verifying Pyongyang's declared nuclear assets.

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

6 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。

7 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

8 speculative   

adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的

参考例句：

• Much of our information is speculative.我们的许多信息是带推测性的。
• The report is highly speculative and should be ignored.那个报道推测的成分很大，不应理会。

9 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。