VOA常速英语2007-Rice Says There Is Opportunity For Peace in Mide

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
17 October 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended four days of talks with Israelis and Palestinians late Wednesday, saying a Mideast peace conference will take place, but much work needs to be done in bilateral¹ talks between Israelis and Palestinians before the meeting gets underway. VOA's Jim Teeple has details from our Jerusalem bureau.

Secretary Rice says the current situation offers a moment of opportunity for peace between Israelis and Palestinians -- but she cautioned against raising expectations for the peace conference which is scheduled to take place in Annapolis, Maryland next month.

"The November meeting is a stop in a process," she said. "There are discussions and negotiations² going on now between Israelis and Palestinians to try and come to understandings about how they move forward toward the establishment of a Palestinian state."

Rice says she expects regional participation³ in the conference and will meet Thursday with Jordan's King Abdullah in London. Egyptian officials expressed cautious support for the conference following their talks with Secretary Rice. However, no other Arab states have so far said whether they will attend the meeting.

Rice says her shuttle diplomacy⁴ is the most serious effort yet made by the Bush administration to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but ultimately Israelis and Palestinians will have to settle their differences between themselves.

"We, the U.S. cannot substitute for bilateral discussions or agreements between the parties, but we will try to help when it becomes obvious that perhaps someone is stuck and our help is needed," said Secretary Rice.

After several days of intensive discussions Israelis and Palestinians have yet to agree on the agenda for the conference. Palestinians say they want a detailed⁵ statement of principles with a timetable for resolving issues like the status of Jerusalem, the dismantling⁶ of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the issue of refugees.

Israeli officials like Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni say Israel wants to reach agreement on a broad agenda, but she says Israel is reluctant to offer specific proposals at the current time, because that could lead to stalemate.

"I believe the right thing to do is to discuss it in a closed room with the Palestinian side," said Livni. "Basically the idea is not to raise expectations that can lead to frustration⁷ and violence. In the past the idea that we could solve the conflict in a few days led to frustration and violence."

Palestinians however are expressing frustration with how the talks have proceeded so far. Following his meeting with Secretary Rice on Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of hindering the effort to reach agreement on a statement of principles. Mr. Abbas warned that time was running out, saying Palestinians will not pay any price to attend the conference.

Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, President Bush said he believes now is the time for both Israelis and Palestinians to try and resolve their differences. The meeting he says offers Palestinians the chance for a future state.

"The Palestinians who have been made promises all these years need to see there is a serious focused effort to step up a state," he said. "And that is important for the people who reject extremism have something to be for."

President Bush also urged other Arab states to participate in the conference. Following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June international efforts to support President Abbas with aid and diplomatic support were renewed and intensified⁸.

 

1 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。

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 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

5 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

6 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

7 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

8 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》