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205 联合国轻武器大会继续进行
UN Conference Continues Work on Small Arms Agreement
Breck Ardery
United Nations
20 Jul 2001 20:41 UTC
Delegates to a United Nations conference on small arms are expected to work into the night on the last day of the 1)session in an effort to reach agreement on a program of action.
After two weeks of 2)negotiations, several issues were still unresolved by Friday afternoon. The U.N. conference is trying to develop a program of action to combat the 3)illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons.
From the start of the conference, the United States has been a central influence, saying there are certain 4)principles on which it will not compromise.
U.S. officials have made clear they will not accept any language in the program that would restrict the civilian ownership of 5)firearms. In addition, the United States rejects the idea that all arms transfers must 6)involve only governments. U.S. policy is that, in certain cases such as attempted 7)genocide, it is proper to provide arms to insurgent groups that are trying to defend themselves.
The U.S. position has caused 8)controversy and 9)biting criticism from some delegates as well as from representatives of private anti-gun groups. Rebecca Peters of the International Action Network on Small Arms told reporters the United States has been imagining an effect that the proposed U.N. document would not have. "The 10)irony is that the inclusion or non-inclusion of language about 11)regulating civilian possession of guns would make no difference in the ability of U.S. gun owners to take their sons on hunting trips or to amass 12)lethal 13)arsenals legally in their living rooms," she said.
Ms. Peters believes the U.S. position at the U.N. conference is meant to placate politically-active gun ownership groups in the United States, particularly the National Rifle Association.
(1) session[5seF(E)n]n.会议, 开庭
(2) negotiation[nI^EJFI5eIF(E)n]n.商议, 谈判, 流通
(3) illicit[I5lIsIt]adj.违法的
(4) principle[5prInsIp(E)l]n.法则, 原则, 原理
(5) firearms n.火器, 轻武器
(6) involve[In5vRlv]vt.包括, 笼罩, 潜心于, 使陷于
(7) genocide[5dVenEsaId]n.有计划的灭种和屠杀
(8) controversy[5kRntrEv:sI]n.论争, 辩论, 论战
(9) biting[5baItIN]adj.刺痛的, 尖锐的
(10) irony[5aIErEnI]n.反话, 讽刺, 讽刺之事
(11) regulate[5re^jJleIt]vt.管制, 控制, 调节, 校准
(12) lethal[5li:W(E)l]adj.致命的n.致死因子
(13) arsenal[5B:sEn(E)l]n.兵工厂, 军械库
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