VOA常速英语2007-Carter Encourages Continued Negotiations with N.

By Kane Farabaugh
New York
15 October 2007
 

Last October, the international community condemned¹ North Korea for testing a nuclear device, and accused it of destabilizing security in Northeast Asia.  As current negotiations² with Pyongyang begin to show signs of progress, VOA's Kane Farabaugh sat down with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to discuss the chances for lasting³ peace on the Korean peninsula.

In 1994, with permission from the Clinton Administration, Jimmy Carter made history on an independent trip to North Korea, becoming the first U.S. president to visit the reclusive communist country.

It was considered a successful diplomatic effort that brought an agreement from the North to curb⁴ its nuclear development program.

"When the current administration came into the White House, they abandoned that commitment," says Mr. Carter, "and North Korea then began to process plutonium, and now has built up enough plutonium possibly for six or seven explosives."

The Bush administration preferred multilateral talks with North Korea when the U.S. abandoned the so-called 1994 "Agreed Framework" that Mr. Carter helped broker⁵.  Last October, diplomatic efforts reached an all time low when North Korea tested a nuclear device.

"The DPRK has already harvested some 50 kilos of fissile material from the Yongbyong facility," says Ambassador Christopher Hill, the lead negotiator for the U.S. in the current six-party talks with North Korea.

The talks include the two Koreas, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia. They are now the primary tool in the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.  As part of the talks, North Korea is required to declare its bomb making capability⁶.  

"They will be required to declare precisely⁷ how much fissile material they have in their possession," said Hill.  "The second element that we've been concerned about is to shut down and disable the Yongbyong facility so that our 50 kilo problem doesn't become a one hundred kilo problem or a 150 kilo problem, but rather there will be no more plutonium produced."

President Carter says, "I hope that now, even though it's late, and now they have the capability, that we can put a surveillance on North Korea so that they will not produce any more explosives."

A U.S. team is currently in North Korea preparing the Yongbyong nuclear facility for shutdown.  Hill says it is an important step in bringing the North's nuclear ambitions to an end.

North Korea seeks bilateral⁸ negotiations with the U.S. to achieve normalized diplomatic relations, and it also wants off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

"That combination of outside pressure plus the inticements of the accommodation of their neighbors - those two together - might be persuasive⁹ on the very strange leaders of that isolated¹⁰ community," said Mr. Carter.

"I'd like to think that the DPRK is beginning to get a taste of what it is like to be a part of a community," said Ambassador Hill.

North Korea has until December 31 to completely shut down its Yongbyong facility and accurately¹¹ declare its nuclear capability.

1 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

2 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。

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 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。

5 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

6 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。

7 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

8 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。

9 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

10 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

11 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。