2006年VOA标准英语-White House Says It Will Not Reach Out to Raul

By Paula Wolfson
White House
01 August 2006

White House reaction to the news of Fidel Castro's illness has been cautious and restrained. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports, officials say there will be no change in policy now that his brother Raul, Cuba's defense¹ minister, holds power, at least temporarily.

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Raul Castro attends a rally in Havana, Cuba in this Jan. 24, 2000 file photo  
  
White House Spokesman Tony Snow says President Bush has long hoped that one day Cuba will be free and democratic. But he says that will not happen with Raul Castro in charge.

"Raul Castro's attempt to impose himself on the Cuban people is much the same as what his brother did, so no, there are no plans to reach out," he said.

During a session with reporters, Snow downplayed prospects² for any change in relations between Washington and Havana. He said Fidel Castro is a dictator who is now temporarily handing power to his brother, the nation's prison keeper.

Snow refused to speculate on the health of the ailing³ Cuban leader, who has long been a major political irritant to the United States. But he did say there is no reason to believe he is dead.

"We don't know what the condition Fidel Castro is," he said. "We don't know the facts of this because Cuba is a closed society."

The situation in Cuba dominated a White House briefing Tuesday, with questions posed about everything from Mr. Castro's medical condition, to the likelihood that the shift in power might prompt many would-be refugees to try to flee the country.

Snow stressed he would not engage in speculation⁴ in certain areas.

"What is going on is that a lot of people are asking questions about the death of a person who is not dead," he said. "And so I am just not going to get there yet."
 

Hugo Chavez, July 19, 2006  
  
One such question dealt with the status of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Snow was asked if he will now become President Bush's chief nemesis⁵ in the region.

"The president is worried about people in the neighborhood who seek to destabilize neighbors using economic or other means," he said. "It is one of the reasons why the policy of this government has always been to push for free trade and to get along well with neighbors. I will leave it at that."

On Monday, before Fidel Castro's illness was announced, President Bush was interviewed by a Spanish-language radio station in heavily Cuban-American Miami. The president talked at some length about Cuba's future, saying his administration has a plan in place to help the Cuban people when the Castro era ends.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

3 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 nemesis   

n.给以报应者，复仇者，难以对付的敌手

参考例句：

• Uncritical trust is my nemesis.盲目的相信一切害了我自己。
• Inward suffering is the worst of Nemesis.内心的痛苦是最厉害的惩罚。