2006年VOA标准英语-Bush, Putin Discuss Iran

By Scott Stearns
St. Petersburg
15 July 2006

President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to continue working together to resolve the stand-off over Iran enriching uranium. But the American leader failed to get President Putin's backing for economic sanctions if Tehran does not respond to international incentives¹.

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President Bush had hoped Iran would respond to that package of incentives before Sunday's start of a meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations outside St. Petersburg.

But Iran says that response will not come until August.

President George W. Bush, left, starts his bilateral² meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, July 15, 2006  
  
Taking questions from reporters with President Putin before the start of the G8 summit, Mr. Bush said he believes Iran is testing the resolve of the international community. The clearer they hear a unified³ message, he says, the closer Tehran is to realizing that there is a better way forward.

"Russia and the United States agree that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon," he said. "In other words, the Iranians need to understand that we are speaking with one voice, that they shouldn't have a weapon. And that is progress."

President Putin supports United Nations action against Iran if the government does not agree to international incentives. Speaking through interpreter, he says that action should not include blocking Iran's access to technology it has a right to pursue.

"I have already mentioned that we will not participate in any crusades, in any holy alliances," he said. "This is true, I reaffirm our position in this matter, but our common goal is to make the world a more secure place."

President Putin says international pressure on Iran is not some kind of plot but is instead a search for solutions that can ensure the secure development of Iran's legal access to nuclear technology.

"The approach has to be balanced and has to take into account the interest of the Iranian people in their desire to develop state-of-the-art high-tech⁴ industries, including nuclear ones," added Mr. Putin.

Russia is helping⁵ build Iran's first atomic power station and has significant investments in the country.

That has complicated American efforts to get Russia to back the threat of economic sanctions. Neither President Bush nor President Putin publicly discussed the threat of sanctions Saturday.

But in an interview with the Canadian television network CTV ahead of the G-8 summit, President Putin said sanctions against Iran could wreck⁶ what he called the current positive progress in talks over the country's nuclear program.

In that interview, President Putin said the problem has existed for several years and what will change if people wait three more weeks for Iran's response? Nothing, he said, so there is no need for commotion⁷.

1 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

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 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

4 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

7 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。