2006年VOA标准英语-Montenegro Becomes 192nd UN Member State

By Peter Heinlein
New York
28 June 2006

Montenegro has become the 192nd member state of the United Nations. Montenegro's president and top leaders of the world body marked the occasion with a flag-raising ceremony outside U.N. headquarters in New York.

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"I declare the Republic of Montenegro admitted to membership in the United Nations."

With those words, General Assembly President Jan Eliasson made it official. Five weeks after citizens of the tiny Balkan republic voted for independence from Serbia, Montenegro is a full-fledged member of the family of nations.

Moments after the Assembly accepted Montenegro's membership application, Serbia's acting¹ U.N. Ambassador Slavko Kruljevic acknowledged the end of an 88-year union.

"I would emphasize that the Republic of Serbia, having spent almost a century in common state with the republic of Montenegro, shall seek to develop the closest and most friendly bilateral² relations," he said. "The policy of good neighborliness and regional cooperation represents the cornerstone of my country's foreign policy in its commitment to the lasting³ stabilization⁴ of the region of southeast Europe."

Flag of Montenegro (L) outside UN headquarters in New York   
  
A short time later, the Montenegrin flag was raised at a formal ceremony in the U.N. plaza⁵, alongside the flags of the 191 other member nations.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed Montenegro's orderly path to independence, calling it a welcome change from the Balkan region's violent past.

"The people of Montenegro demonstrated that adherence⁶ to democratic values and the rule of law offer the most effective way to achieve political goals," he said. " And they showed that even most sensitive problems can be resolved peacefully."

Montenegro's President Filip Vujanovic said he was pleased to convey his country's appreciation⁷ to the world body.

"It is a great event for Montenegro's citizens but at same time, this is a great responsibility for us," he said.  "We are aware about it, and we are devoted⁸ to the goals of the United Nations."

Montenegro is the first country admitted to the United Nations since East Timor in 2002. It has already been recognized by nearly all countries, including the United States.

The Balkan nation of 620,000 people is the latest of the former republics of Yugoslavia to leave Belgrade's orbit. Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia split earlier, during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

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 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。

3 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

4 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

5 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

6 adherence   

n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着

参考例句：

• He was well known for his adherence to the rules.他因遵循这些规定而出名。
• The teacher demanded adherence to the rules.老师要求学生们遵守纪律。

7 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

8 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。