VOA常速英语2015--海湾伙伴峰会上寻求美国保证

Gulf¹ Partners to Seek US Reassurances² at Summit 海湾伙伴峰会上寻求美国保证

WHITE HOUSE—

President Barack Obama will host a summit next week of the six Sunni-led member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council that is expected to focus on the Iran nuclear deal and Tehran’s involvement in conflicts from Yemen to Syria.

For leaders of the Gulf countries, scenes of Iranian-supported Houthi rebels overrunning Yemen’s capital, Sana'a, and driving out its U.S.-backed government this year were a sign of the rising threat from Iran, and they come to the summit seeking reassurances of U.S. backing.

Obama’s argument is that negotiating a nuclear arrangement with Iran will, by itself, mean security for them.

“I am convinced that if this framework leads to a final, comprehensive deal, it will make our country, our allies and our world safer,” he said.

But America’s partners in the Persian Gulf region are not so sure.  

Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the United States, said Gulf leaders want to upgrade their security relations with Washington.

"We are looking for some form of security guarantee, given the behavior of Iran in the region [and] given the rise of the extremist threat," he said. "We definitely want a stronger relationship. In the past, we have survived with a gentlemen’s agreement with the United States about security. I think today we need something in writing; we need something institutionalized.”

Defense³ improvements

While no treaty will be signed, Obama does plan to talk with the Gulf leaders about building up their defense capabilities⁴. It’s expected there will be some movement on speeding up weapons sales, setting up a regional defense system against Iranian missiles and planning joint⁵ military exercises.  

But Obama said in an interview with The New York Times last month that the Sunni-led monarchies⁶ in the Gulf also must take into account another threat: the danger posed by some of their own people who are stifled⁷ by a lack of political outlets⁸ for their grievances⁹. Obama said the biggest threat facing the Gulf Cooperation Council members may not be from Iran, but from internal dissatisfaction.

Obama’s criticism of the Gulf leaders' domestic policies, coupled with his outreach to Iran, has fueled their distrust.

So for the president, it is now important to make a visible show of support. Along with a dinner at the White House, the leaders will meet at Camp David, the presidential retreat in a mountain park outside Washington that traditionally has been used for intimate and historically important gatherings¹⁰.

Derek Chollet, a former U.S. assistant secretary of defense, said that for Obama to be with the Gulf leaders at Camp David "has a special symbolism here in the United States and around the world. So it’s an important symbol of our commitment to the region.”

The United States maintains 35,000 troops in the Gulf region and, like the Gulf nations, wants to stem Iran’s destabilizing actions there. While no one expects this week's summit to resolve all distrust and disagreements, there is hope it will be a first step toward rebuilding confidence in the partnership¹¹.

Setting the stage

On Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry met in Paris with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council to lay the groundwork for the Washington summit.

The group comprises Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. Kerry said the issues they discussed included the Iran nuclear negotiations¹² and regional security challenges.

Also Friday, more than a thousand people took to the streets in Tehran to denounce the Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen. Some also chanted anti-American slogans.

The Saudi-led coalition¹³ pummeled the northwestern Yemeni province of Saada on Saturday, while elsewhere coalition airstrikes hit the capital's international airport on the 45th day of fighting against the Houthi rebels.  

The United States and Saudi Arabia have announced a May 12 start date for a five-day humanitarian¹⁴ pause in Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition is waging an air campaign against advancing Houthi rebels. The conflict has left thousands of people in Yemen in need of basic supplies.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 reassurances   

n.消除恐惧或疑虑( reassurance的名词复数 )；恢复信心；使人消除恐惧或疑虑的事物；使人恢复信心的事物

参考例句：

• We have had some reassurances from the council that the building will be saved. 理事会保证会保留那座建筑，这使我们得到了些许安慰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everybody's reassurances have encouraged me. 大家的勉励鼓舞了我。 来自辞典例句

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 monarchies   

n. 君主政体, 君主国, 君主政治

参考例句：

• It cleared away a number of monarchies. 它清除了好几个君主政体。
• Nowadays, there are few monarchies left in the world. 现在世界上君主制的国家已经很少了。

7 stifled   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵

参考例句：

• The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
• The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。

8 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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。

14 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。