2006年VOA标准英语-US Blocks UN Criticism of Israeli Military

By Peter Heinlein
Washington
14 April 2006

The U.N. Security Council has taken no action on a proposed statement that would have criticized Israeli military strikes in the Palestinian territories. The United States blocked the text, calling it "unbalanced" and "unfair".

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The statement drafted by Arab nations would have expressed grave concern about the recent escalation¹ of Israeli military operations, especially in the occupied territories. It called on Israel to refrain from excessive use of force that endangers the Palestinian civilian² population.

 

Ambassador John Bolton (file photo)   
  

But after three days of closed-door negotiations³, ambassadors emerged late Thursday to say they had been unable to reach the necessary consensus⁴. Washington's U.N. Ambassador John Bolton said the United States had rejected the text because, in his words, "it distorts the reality of the region".

"There were extensive negotiations over three days. A lot of changes were made. But the balance of the text as it ended up was still not adequate in our view and we weren't prepared to support it. We think it was disproportionately critical of Israel and unfairly so, and needlessly so," he said.

After the negotiations broke down, the Palestinian U.N. representative Riyad Mansour blasted the U.S. opposition⁵. He suggested that Washington had been alone among the 15 member council in blocking the non-binding statement. 
 
 
Palestinian UN representative Riyad Mansour (file photo)
  
"Fourteen members of Security Council demonstrated understanding, but unfortunately one member who is shielding and protecting Israeli aggression⁷ against the Palestinian people in Gaza and in other parts of the occupied territory, it is unfortunate that that position is hostile to the Palestinian people," he said.

Several U.S. and European diplomats⁸ disputed the Palestinian representative's account. They pointed⁹ out that there had been no vote, and that many Council members had expressed willingness to support either the Arab-backed text or proposed U.S. amendments¹⁰.

But in the end, there was deadlock¹¹. Ambassador Bolton said he was not bothered by whether the United States was characterized as the "lone⁶ holdout". "I don't want to get into characterizing it, but if I were the only holdout, I'd be proud of that fact," he said.

After the talks collapsed¹², Arab nations requested an open Security Council meeting on the Middle East where any of the 191 U.N. member states could express their views. It was scheduled for Monday, and Palestinian ambassador Mansour said he expects more than 150 countries to speak.

Ambassador Bolton said he does not think the meeting will be productive, and described it as a "group therapy session". That prompted a sharp retort from the Palestinian representative.

"We don't believe the Security Council open session are sessions of group therapy, they are sessions to uphold international law, and we will see as of Monday representatives who will speak on behalf of maybe more than 150 countries express their outrage¹³ at the Israeli aggression and attacks," he said.

In a letter to the Council earlier in the week, Mansour had said at least 18 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli military attacks since last Friday.

The United States had argued that any Council statement should mention the obligations of both Israelis and Palestinians under the U.N.-backed Road Map for peace, and should balance criticisms of Israeli actions with a mention of Palestinian attacks on Israel.

1 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

5 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。

6 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

7 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

11 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

12 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

13 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。