2006年VOA标准英语-West Ponders Next Step in Nuclear Dispute with

By Gary Thomas
London
23 August 2006

The nations that offered incentives² to Iran to get it to halt nuclear enrichment activity are studying Iran's response and pondering what to do next. While details of the response have not been made public, Iran said it was ready for "serious negotiations³" on its nuclear program. The United States says it will continue its push for U.N.-backed economic sanctions against Iran if it refuses to halt uranium enrichment. There are sharp differences at the Security Council on the strength of proposed sanctions, and Iran seeks to exploit them.

-------

UN Security Council, Aug. 8, 2006   
  
One day after Iran delivered its response to the incentive¹ package, a leading British research institute came out with a report saying that Iran's influence in the Middle East has actually been enhanced by the U.S.-led "war on terror." The Royal Institute for International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, says the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the recent conflict in Lebanon have put Iran in what it calls "a position of considerable strength."

Analysts⁴ say Iran is trying to use that newfound strength to exploit differences in the so-called "Five-Plus-One," the grouping of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany that seeks to curb⁵ Iran's nuclear ambitions.
 
 
Ali Larijani (file photo)
  
Details of Iran's response have not been released. But Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani says Iran is ready for what he termed "serious negotiations." Rosemary Hollis, director of research at Chatham House, says that approach may find favor in Europe, where there is less appetite to rush forward with sanctions, but not in Washington.

"If the Iranians want to play this out, and it looks as if they want to get some more mileage⁶ out of this initial taste of an engagement, then it could play out for a very long time," she said. "The issue becomes, really, whether Washington has the patience or the interest for playing out a very long game, which may not deliver, which may simply buy the Iranians time to do what they want to do anyway."

Iran insists it is only seeking peaceful nuclear energy, but the West says Iran's true ambition is to acquire a nuclear weapons capability⁷. The "Five-Plus-One" group offered Iran a package of incentives to get Iran to halt nuclear work, but demanded Iran halt uranium enrichment. France insisted Wednesday that enrichment suspension remains⁸ a precondition for any talks.

If, as Iranian statements indicate, Iran rejects the demand to suspend uranium enrichment, then the United States will push for tough economic sanctions against Iran. But, Hollis says, the United States is unlikely get any sanctions with real teeth, particularly because of opposition⁹ from Russia and China.

"Punitive¹⁰ economic sanctions are unlikely to be a recourse for the U.N. Security Council simply because nobody fancies the idea of an energy market which is already experiencing high energy prices to be tightened¹¹ even further," she said. "And nobody relishes¹² the idea of an all-out confrontation¹³ with Iran on this issue. So what may well end up happening is a fudge which pleases no one."

Mark Fitzgerald, a nuclear proliferation experts at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, says Iran's position as a leading oil producer is not the only reason that tough sanctions will not be passed by the Security Council.

"Oil certainly is a trump¹⁴ card, one of its trump cards. Another is its strategic position in Central Asia, which is very important to Russia," he said. "Russia and China both have commercial interests in Iran, and for Russia, these security interests. Iran's potential to create havoc¹⁵ on Russia's southern front with these Islamic fundamentalist groups there make Iran an important player for Russia that they do not want to push toward a conflict situation."

Under the U.N. Security Council resolution, Iran still has until August 31 to suspend enrichment.

1 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

2 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

3 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。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

6 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？

7 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

11 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

12 relishes   

n.滋味( relish的名词复数 )；乐趣；（大量的）享受；快乐v.欣赏( relish的第三人称单数 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望

参考例句：

• The meat relishes of pork. 这肉有猪肉味。 来自辞典例句
• The biography relishes too much of romance. 这篇传记中传奇色彩太浓。 来自辞典例句

13 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

14 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

15 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。