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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Obama administration might reconsider plans for a missile defense1 system in Europe, if Iran stopped what U.S. officials believe is a drive for nuclear weapons. Clinton met with Czech Republic Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose government - along with Poland - has agreed to host the system.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) and Karel Schwarzenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic at US State Department 09 Feb. 09
The Obama administration has stopped short of fully2 embracing the missile defense program that was avidly3 pursued by the Bush White House, with the Obama team citing concerns about its technical viability4.
In her joint5 press appearance with her Czech Republic counterpart, Secretary Clinton reiterated6 those concerns, while also suggesting the program could be shelved if Iran halts its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Clinton expressed gratitude7 to both the Czech Republic and Poland for working with the United States in what she framed as an effort to dissuade8 and deter9 Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons and a related long-range missile project.
She said the decisions on timing10 and deployment11 of the system are "largely technical matters" and said Iranian behavior would be a key factor in whether the program ultimately goes forward.
"If we're able to see a change of behavior on the part of the Iranians with respect to what we believe to be their pursuit of nuclear weapons, then you know, we will reconsider where we stand. But we are a long, long way from seeing such evidence of any behavior change," she said.
Clinton noted12 an assertion by Vice13 President Joe Biden in a policy speech in Munich Saturday that the United States will continue efforts on missile defense provided the technology is proven to work and it is cost effective.
Mr. Biden also said the United States will continue consulting on the matter with NATO and with Russia, which has opposed the program as a threat to its strategic deterrence14.
Under questioning Tuesday, Clinton reiterated the Obama administration's interest in dialogue with Iran, following an assertion Tuesday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that his government welcomes talks with Washington based on "mutual15 respect."
The Secretary said there is an opportunity for Iran's hard-line government to "unclench its fist" and begin a serious and responsible dialogue but also linked that prospect16 to the Iranian nuclear program.
"We still persist in our view that Iran should not obtain nuclear weapons, that it would be a very unfortunate course for them to pursue," Clinton said. "And we hope that there will be opportunities in the future for us to develop a better understanding of one another, and to work out a way of talking that would produce positive results for the people of Iran."
President Obama said at his news conference late Monday he is looking for opportunities to engage with Iran while acknowledging that years of mistrust between the two countries will be hard to overcome.
1 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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2 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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3 avidly | |
adv.渴望地,热心地 | |
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4 viability | |
n.存活(能力) | |
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5 joint | |
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合 | |
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6 reiterated | |
反复地说,重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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8 dissuade | |
v.劝阻,阻止 | |
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9 deter | |
vt.阻止,使不敢,吓住 | |
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10 timing | |
n.时间安排,时间选择 | |
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11 deployment | |
n. 部署,展开 | |
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12 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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13 vice | |
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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14 deterrence | |
威慑,制止; 制止物,制止因素; 挽留的事物; 核威慑 | |
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15 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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16 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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