2006年VOA标准英语-UN Adopts Resolution Condemning US Embargo on C

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
08 November 2006

The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling on the United States to end its economic embargo¹ of Cuba.

 
An old car passes next to a billboard² in Havana that reads '70 percent of Cuban people have been born under the embargo' 
  
For the 15th consecutive³ year, the General Assembly approved a non-binding measure criticizing Washington's embargo against Fidel Castro's Cuba. The vote this time was virtually the same as last year: 183-4, with only Israel and two small Pacific island states voting with the United States.

The vote on the resolution has become an annual exercise in the Assembly since 1992.  This year's list of speakers condemning⁴ the embargo and America's human rights policies included such vocal⁵ U.S. critics as Zimbabwe, Sudan, Syria, Burma, Belarus, China, Vietnam and Laos.

Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque personally represented Havana. He blasted the embargo, calling it tantamount to genocide.

"The economic war waged by the United States against Cuba, which is the most extensive and cruel war that has existed, and which can be qualified⁶ as an act of genocide, and is a clear violation⁷ of international law and of the United Nations charter, over these 48 years, the United States embargo has caused in Cuba economic damage in excess of $86 billion," he said.

The U.S. representative at the session, Ambassador Ronald Godard, rejected the charges. He called the embargo a bilateral⁸ issue between the United States and Cuba.

Godard told the Assembly Cuba must accept responsibility for its people's plight⁹, and must change its policies before the embargo is lifted.

"The resolution inaccurately¹⁰ blames the U.S. trade embargo for the hardships of the Cuban people, while exonerating¹¹ the Cuban government's own policies which deny the right of the Cuban people to a fair wage, to own and operate a business, to buy and sell property, to freely associate, and to freely express their opinions," he said.

At one point during the Assembly session, Australia's U.N. Ambassador Robert Hill proposed an amendment¹² aimed at balancing the resolution. Hill said it is important to note that the embargo was motivated by valid¹³ concerns about the lack of freedom in Cuba.

"There is simply no point in repeating the same practice, year after year,” he said.  “So this year we propose a different approach. We propose that the General Assembly pass an amended¹⁴ motion that on the one hand calls for an end to the embargo, but on the other hand calls on Cuba to improve its human rights performance.”

United Nations Assembly (file photo)   
  
The Australian proposal was defeated, however, by a more than 2-1 margin¹⁵. The 192-member General Assembly then went on to overwhelmingly adopt the resolution.

General Assembly resolutions have no legal effect, and they have had no effect in the past. But the vote is considered a barometer¹⁶ of international opinion.

The United States imposed the trade embargo after Fidel Castro defeated a failed CIA-backed assault on the Bay of Pigs in 1961.

1 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

2 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

3 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

4 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

6 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

7 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

8 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

9 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

10 inaccurately   

不精密地，不准确地

参考例句：

• The money mechanism began to work stiffly and inaccurately. 贷币机构开始周转不灵和不准确了。
• Court records reveal every day how inaccurately "eyewitnesses'see. 法庭记录每天都显露出“见证人”看得多不准确。

11 exonerating   

v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

12 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

13 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

14 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

15 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

16 barometer   

n.气压表，睛雨表，反应指标

参考例句：

• The barometer marked a continuing fall in atmospheric pressure.气压表表明气压在继续下降。
• The arrow on the barometer was pointing to"stormy".气压计上的箭头指向“有暴风雨”。