VOA标准英语2012--US, Arab League Face Russian Opposition on Syria

US, Arab League Face Russian Opposition¹ on Syria

With Gulf-state observers leaving the Arab League mission in Syria, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem accuses the league of paving the way for foreign military intervention² with its call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
"The solution for Syria is definitely not the solution from the Arab League, and we refuse," said al-Moualem.
President Barack Obama made clear in his State of the Union address Tuesday that it is time for President Assad to go, just as popular revolts ousted³ dictators in Libya and Egypt last year.
"And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can't be reversed, and that human dignity can't be denied," said Obama.
The top American diplomat⁴ for human rights, Michael Posner, said Thursday in Cairo that Washington counts on the Arab League, and the United Nations, to help bring change in Syria.
"We are desirous of working in partnership⁵ with them, and there is certainly a hope and expectation that we can proceed to the U.N. Security Council soon for the issue to be raised,'' said Posner.
But Steve Heydemann, a senior Middle East advisor⁶ at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said the Arab League's consensus⁷ could crumble⁸, leaving the U.S. trying to figure out what options come next.
"Those are very interesting questions, and they have very important implications for the United States because we have relied on the Arab League to be out front on Syria because it gives us a great deal of cover for taking assertive⁹ steps against the regime of Bashar al-Assad that might otherwise be seen as Western and American meddling¹⁰ in Syrian affairs," said Heydemann.
At the U.N., however, options may be limited. Russia has made clear it will not approve any U.N. Security Council resolution that authorizes¹¹ force or sanctions.
U.S. officials say talks between U.S. and Russian diplomats¹² in Moscow have made progress in resolving some of the differences about how the international community should best move forward on Syria. Action at the U.N. now appears to depend on convincing Russia and China that a change of government in Damascus will not undermine their position in the Middle East.

1 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。

2 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

3 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

4 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

5 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。

6 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。

7 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

8 crumble   

vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁

参考例句：

• Opposition more or less crumbled away.反对势力差不多都瓦解了。
• Even if the seas go dry and rocks crumble,my will will remain firm.纵然海枯石烂，意志永不动摇。

9 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。

10 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

11 authorizes   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings 'traveler' and 'traveller'. 字典裁定traveler和traveller两种拼法都对。
• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings "honor" and "honour.". 字典裁定 honor 及 honour 两种拼法均可。

12 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》