2006年VOA标准英语-US Proposes Ban on Nuclear Bomb-Making Mat

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
18 May 2006

The United States has presented a draft treaty aimed at cutting off production of fissile material, the plutonium and uranium used in making nuclear weapons.  A U.S. disarmament official outlined details of the proposal to the 65-member United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

---------------------------------------------------

The treaty proposed by the United States would ban the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

Stephen Rademaker is acting¹ assistant U.S. secretary in the State Department's bureau of international security and non-proliferation.  He says the treaty would not include a verification or inspection² regime.  He explains such a scheme would not be effective.

 
Stephen Rademaker 
  
"Our experts in verification matters have reached the judgment³ that virtually any scheme of verification that could conceivably be agreed here at the conference that would be acceptable to the key players here, would not give a reasonable level of assurance that cheating could be detected by the international mechanism⁴ created here at the conference," he said.

Rademaker says the primary responsibility for verification would shift to sovereign countries to make sure nations uphold the treaty.  If a country is suspected of making fissile materials, he says, that country could be referred to the U.N. Security Council for further action.

The U.N. Conference on Disarmament has been deadlocked⁵ over a treaty for the past nine years.  Efforts to achieve an agreement have intensified⁶ recently because of growing fears over Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs.

Rademaker says, now that the United States has decided⁷ to leave out verification measures, it should be easier to negotiate what he calls a fissile material cutoff treaty, an FMCT.

"The point of the FMCT is to stop fissile material production as soon as possible," he explained.  "And if years are expended⁸ negotiating verification provisions, those are years during which additional fissile material production is going to occur.  One of the purposes served by putting forward our draft treaty today was to underscore how simple the negotiating task is on an FMCT, if we set aside the issue of verification."

A number of developing countries have linked a ban on fissile material to other nuclear issues.  Some countries are calling for total nuclear disarmament.  China is demanding parallel negotiations⁹ to prevent an arms race in outer space.  The United States opposes both suggestions.

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

3 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

4 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

5 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

6 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 expended   

v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽

参考例句：

• She expended all her efforts on the care of home and children. 她把所有精力都花在料理家务和照顾孩子上。
• The enemy had expended all their ammunition. 敌人已耗尽所有的弹药。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。