2006年VOA标准英语-US Senators Call for Direct Talks with Ira

By Melinda Smith
Washington, DC
18 April 2006
 
watch Iran Talks report

Iran's recent announcement it has developed enriched uranium for its nuclear program will be under discussion this week as G-8 diplomats¹ meet in Moscow.  Meanwhile some U.S. senators say it's time for direct talks with Teheran on a number of issues. 

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with the Palestinian leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal  
  

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stirred up more controversy² this weekend as he met with the Palestinian leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal. President Ahmadinejad said Iran was giving the Palestinian Authority $50 million U.S. to counter the cutoff in financial aid from the United States and other western countries. 

The aid was eliminated when Hamas refused to renounce³ violence and recognize Israel.  Iran has long had close ties with Hamas, which won the most seats in the Palestinian legislative⁴ elections in January.

Meanwhile, U.S. senators are weighing in on the possibility of direct talks versus⁵ a long-range option of sanctions against Iran:

U.S. Senator Chris Dodd  
  
Democrat⁶ Chris Dodd says, "I don't think we've been muscular enough, if you will, on the diplomatic front.  I don't disagree that we ought to leave the military option on the table, but I don't think we've been working hard enough on the diplomacy⁷ side of this."

Another Democrat, Senator Evan Bayh, did not rule out the idea of economic sanctions against oil-rich Iran. 

 
U.S. Senator Evan Bayh
  
"Sanctions are not a panacea⁸, but if we were to, for example, to cut off their gasoline imports, they derive⁹ 40 percent of their gasoline from other countries: heavy machinery¹⁰ from Japan, Germany and elsewhere, that they're dependent on, freezing their financial assets, a travel embargo¹¹."

Republican Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for restraint on both sides. 

 
U.S. Senator Richard Lugar
  
"The rhetoric¹² has been pretty hot and heavy with the president of Iran on TV constantly.  It appears to me they're not making that much headway.  And we need to make more headway diplomatically."

In an exclusive interview with VOA, a former Bush administration official, Richard Haass said the U.S. and Iran have much to discuss in a face-to-face meeting. 

Richard Haass  
  
"I would like to see the dialogue be comprehensive.  That way the United States could raise all the issues that's of concern to it ... including nuclear weapons ... terrorism ... what's going on in Iraq ... what's going on in Afghanistan ... and at the same time I believe the Iranian government should be able to raise all the issues that it wants to raise ... that it wants to have discussed. In general, I do not believe that any useful purpose is served by not communicating."

Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan maintained the Bush administration's view that any action on Iran must come from the United Nations. 
 

Scott McClellan  
  
"This is a regime that is only further isolating¹³ itself by its recent announcements and its continuing behavior.  And it's time to address this matter at the Security Council if they're going to continue on that course."

The UN's nuclear watchdog agency will report on Iran's nuclear program April 28th.

1 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》

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

8 panacea   

n.万灵药；治百病的灵药

参考例句：

• Western aid may help but will not be a panacea. 西方援助可能会有所帮助，但并非灵丹妙药。
• There's no single panacea for the country's economic ills. 国家经济弊病百出,并无万灵药可以医治。

9 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。

10 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

11 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。

12 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

13 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句