Bush Voices Concern About Iranian Nuclear Program

 

By Scott Stearns

President Bush says the international community must stand united in its opposition¹ to Iran enriching uranium, which the United States believes is part of a secret plan to develop nuclear weapons.
President Bush says Iran must understand that the international community is serious about preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.
"It's very important for the Iranian government to hear that we are concerned about their desires," said President Bush. "And we are concerned about reports that show that prior to a certain international meeting they are willing to speed-up processing of materials that could lead to a nuclear weapon. This is a very serious matter. The world knows it is a serious matter, and we are working together to solve this matter.
President Bush was referring to reports that Iran is producing a precursor² to enriched uranium ahead of a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna next Thursday.
The U.S. State Department has said that, if reports are true that Iran is making uranium hexafluoride gas - which is used to enrich uranium for nuclear reactors³ or atomic bombs - that would further erode⁴ Tehran's credibility.
The United States wants the IAEA meeting to refer Iran's case to the U.N. Security Council for possible economic sanctions.
Iran is trying to avoid those sanctions and last Sunday agreed to suspend all uranium enrichment activities in a deal negotiated by Britain, France, and Germany.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, President Bush said he appreciates the efforts of Britain, France, and Germany to convince Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. He says that involvement shows that those countries, and many others, believe that Tehran has those ambitions and is moving forward to fulfill⁵ them.
The IAEA has inspectors⁶ in Iran ready to verify the suspension of uranium enrichment, which Tehran says will begin Monday.
Iran says its nuclear program is a civilian⁷ effort to produce electricity. The Bush administration says the oil-rich country has no need for nuclear energy and believes Iran's nuclear program is part of a clandestine⁸ effort to develop nuclear weapons.
Scott Stearns，VOA news, Santiago, Chile.

注释：
uranium 铀
nuclear weapon 核武器
speed-up 加速
precursor先驱
International Atomic Energy Agency  国际原子能组织
hexafluoride六氟化硫
nuclear reactor 核反应堆
atomic bomb 原子弹
Security Council 联合国安全理事会
economic sanctions 经济制裁
suspend 延缓，延迟
uranium enrichment 铀浓缩
inspector 检查员, 巡视员
verify 查证, 核实
nuclear energy 核能
clandestine 秘密的

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

3 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

4 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

5 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

6 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。