西部落：美国加沙问题的弃权票

Why did U.S. abstain¹ on Gaza?

War rages despite the Security Council vote. CNN's Richard Roth reports on the reasoning behind the U.S. abstention.

It was the raised American hand that raised eyebrows². Why did US Secretary of State Rice abstain on a UN Gaza ceasefire resolution she worked so hard to craft with European allies, and whose goals she announced she agreed with? Publicly, Rice says the Egyptian peace proposal by President Mubarak should be given more time. Rice was a whirlwind during the resolution debate with Arab nations, shuttling between meetings. But there was a delay before the vote and Rice could be seen huddling³ with Arab foreign ministers. The State Department Press Corps⁴ searching for other reasons pressed Rice's spokesman.

I think she explained it, look, it's a nuanced assignment. I understand that. But we did as we tried to come up with what we thought was the best possible solution. I can only offer you first-hand accounts. You're welcome to your interpretations⁵ here in the real mind.

Elsewhere, a US official indicated the decision to abstain came from higher-ups in Washington and not from Rice who wanted to vote yes on the resolution.

But at the end of the day, you may get instructions to do something a little bit different than what you thought you were really starting to do at the outset. We've all encountered that, er, from time to time. And at the end of the day, the shots are called in the Capitol.

Arab diplomats⁶ were not surprised and were just glad to avoid the United States blocking the resolution, a ceasefire call neither Israel or Hamas is complying with.

Of course, it's extremely disappointing that so far, it has been ignored by both sides.

A US official was not surprised the Security Council resolution has been ignored. He said it will work over time, just not immediately. The US supports the resolution's concepts if not inside the Security Council chamber⁷.

Richard Roth, CNN United Nations.

尽管联合国安理会就加沙地区停火问题投票，战争仍然如火如荼地进行。CNN记者Richard Roth为我们报道美国投弃权票的背后原因。

美国代表投弃权票引起了人们的注意。美国国务卿赖斯一直竭尽全力与欧洲盟国交涉，并宣布希望加沙地带停火，但是为什么她不赞成联合国安理会针对加沙地区的停火方案呢？赖斯公开表示，埃及总统穆巴拉克提出的停火提议尚需时间。与会期间，赖斯与阿拉伯国家外交部长针对停火方案进行了激烈辩论。但是投票之前，赖斯有一些延迟，并与阿拉伯外交部长乱成一团。国务院记者团向赖斯的发言人寻求弃权的其他原因。

我认为她已经做出了解释，你知道，这是一项很微妙的任务。我能够理解。但是，我们已经为找出最好的方案作出了努力。我只能为你提供第一手报告。希望你能解释出真正原因。

在其他方面，一名美国官员暗示，投弃权票的指令来自华盛顿高层，而非本来希望投赞成票的赖斯本来的意愿。

但是，在一天快要结束的时候，你可能会收到指令来做一件事，而且可能和你开始时想做的有些差别。我们每个人都经常遇到这种情况。在最后关头，美国国会大厦发出了命令。

阿拉伯外交官并不感到惊讶，而且为避免了美国对该方案的阻挠感到高兴。而对于该停火方案，以色列和哈马斯均不答应。

当然，联合国安理会对这种结果大失所望，以色列和哈马斯双方均对该停火协议置之不理。

一名美国官员表示，安理会停火方案遭冷遇他一点都不感到惊讶。他说，长期来看，该方案可能会起作用，但不会有立竿见影的效果。如果不是在安理会上，美国实际上是支持该停火协议的观点的。

1 abstain   

v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免

参考例句：

• His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.他的医生嘱咐他戒酒。
• Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote.三位保守党下院议员投了弃权票。

2 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

3 huddling   

n. 杂乱一团, 混乱, 拥挤 v. 推挤, 乱堆, 草率了事

参考例句：

• Twenty or thirty monkeys are huddling along the thick branch. 三十只猴子挤在粗大的树枝上。
• The defenders are huddling down for cover. 捍卫者为了掩护缩成一团。

4 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 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》

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。