2007年VOA标准英语-Rice Meets Arab Ministers in Advance of Riyadh

By David Gollust
Aswan, Egypt
25 March 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met foreign ministers of four moderate Arab states in the Egyptian city of Aswan Saturday in advance of the Arab League summit next week in Riyadh. U.S. officials would like to see the Arab states renew their 2002 peace overture² to Israel. VOA's David Gollust reports from Aswan.

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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives at the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, Egypt, 24 Mar 2007

Senior officials in the Rice party say they do not want to appear to be trying to tell the Arab League what to do.

But they are making clear they would like to see that organization reaffirm the 2002 peace initiative, and preferably supplement it with some sort of new political overture to Israel.

In the peace plan, initiated⁴ by Saudi Arabia, the Arab League member countries offered Israel normal relations, if it returned to 1967 borders and reached a two stage settlement with the Palestinian including the return of refugees.

But the 2002 initiative was overshadowed by the violence of the second Palestinian Intifada and later by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

In a talk with reporters, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch said Secretary Rice told her foreign minister colleagues from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that U.S. efforts to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process would be enhanced, if there was a parallel Arab-Israeli negotiating track. "The Secretary emphasized in the gathering⁵ with the foreign ministers the importance of Arab-Israeli reconciliation⁶ as an element in broadening peace, but also in helping⁷ to establish a track between the Israelis and Palestinians," he said.

A senior U.S. official who spoke⁸ to reporters said Rice was not preaching to her Arab colleagues about what needs to be done, but said none-the-less the United States views some sort of outreach to Israel by the Arab League to be of critical importance.

Rice also met with security and intelligence chiefs from the four countries of the so-called Quartet of moderate Arab states. The official said that conversation focused on, among other things, ways to curb⁹ arms smuggling¹⁰ to Hamas and other radical¹¹ factions¹² in the Palestinian areas, and to assure that aid flowing to those areas does not end up in the hands of extremists.

The senior official said the Arab Quartet members believe the Bush administration has struck the right balance on the new Palestinian unity¹³ government by continuing to back an international aid ban against it, but agreeing to continue contacts with non-Hamas members of the cabinet.

Rice continues her Middle East mission, her third thus far this year, with a meeting here Sunday morning with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

She then flies on to Israel where she will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem after talks in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 overture   

n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉

参考例句：

• The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
• His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

3 cataract   

n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障

参考例句：

• He is an elderly gentleman who had had a cataract operation.他是一位曾经动过白内障手术的老人。
• The way is blocked by the tall cataract.高悬的大瀑布挡住了去路。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

10 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

11 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

12 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

13 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。