VOA慢速英语--沙特王储表示 自己对记者卡舒吉之死负有责任

Saudi Crown Prince Takes Responsibility for Khashoggi Death

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin¹ Salmon² says he takes “full responsibility” for the killing³ of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But the crown prince is denying reports that he ordered the killing.

“This was a heinous⁴ crime,” Prince Mohammed told the American television show “60 Minutes.” “But I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government.”

Khashoggi entered the Saudi diplomatic office in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018. There is no evidence he ever left the building. Saudi Arabia has charged 11 people in connection with his killing.

The crown prince’s comments were broadcast two days after Saudi Arabia announced plans to open its doors to foreign tourists. The Saudi government launched a new visa program for 49 countries on Friday. And it is appealing to foreign companies to invest in the country’s tourism industry.

Saudi Arabia has tightly controlled the flow of foreign visitors for more than half a century. Recently, the Muslim kingdom has begun to ease its rules. Men and women are no longer required to be in separate areas in public places. And, women are no longer required to wear black clothing from head to foot.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb noted⁵ that alcoholic⁶ drinks will still be banned. “We will have enough tourists to come to Saudi Arabia to enjoy other things,” he told the Reuters news agency.

Until now, most of the foreigners going to Saudi Arabia have been business travelers, individuals working in the country and their families. The government approves special visas to Muslims who want to visit Mecca and Medina, two of Islam’s holiest cities.

Seeking investments

For the Saudi government’s new plan to succeed, Saudi Arabia must hold down threats from Iran, its long-time enemy.

The government blames Iran for an attack last month on Saudi oil processing centers. Iran denies the accusation⁷.

Khateeb said the country is “very, very safe” and the attack would not affect plans to increase tourists.

But why would a tourist want to go to Saudi Arabia?

“We have a great culture where many, many tourists would love to come and explore this culture and learn more about it and see it and experience it,” said Khateeb.

The government wants to bring in 100 million tourists a year by 2030, more than double the current number. It also wants to create more than one million tourism jobs.

Getting hundreds of thousands of Saudis into the workplace remains⁸ a major issue for the crown prince. Currently, the official unemployment rate is over 12 percent.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

journalist – n. a news reporter or media worker

heinous – adj. shockingly evil

commit – v. to carry out

tourist – n. someone who makes a trip for pleasure or cultural reasons

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

7 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。