VOA常速英语2007年-US Says North Korean Sanctions Will Not Be Lift

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
02 November 2007

The U.S. envoy¹ in charge of seeking a diplomatic end to North Korea's nuclear weapons programs says Pyongyang has much more to do before punitive² United Nations sanctions are lifted. As a U.S. team begins the process of disabling the North's main nuclear complex, the governments involved in the nuclear negotiations³ are now preparing to receive a promised list of Pyongyang's nuclear programs and facilities. VOA's Kurt Achin has more from Seoul.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters in Seoul Friday there is still work to do before United Nations sanctions against North Korea - known formally as the DPRK - can be lifted.

"The sanctions are there until the DPRK gets out of the nuclear business," he said. "That is when they ought to be revisited."

The U.N. imposed punitive sanctions on North Korea after the North conducted its first nuclear weapons test in October of last year. Since then, however, multinational⁴ talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons capabilities⁵ have made what appears to be notable progress.

North Korea has halted operations at its main nuclear plant in Yongbyon in exchange for energy aid, as the first phase of an agreement with the U.S., South Korea, China, Russia and Japan.

Under the second phase of that agreement, a U.S. team is now in North Korea to supervise the disabling of the Yongbyon complex. Hill has said the ultimate goal is to dismantle⁶ permanently⁷ this and all other North Korean nuclear facilities.

Diplomats⁸ say the six-party process aims to transform the security structure of Northeast Asia, including implementation⁹ of a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula. North and South Korea remain technically¹⁰ at war: the 1950-to-1953 Korean War was halted only by an armistice¹¹, and not a permanent peace treaty.

Hill says if the nuclear disabling phase goes smoothly¹², Washington would be willing to begin separate talks aimed at a formal peace agreement. However, he says nothing will be signed until North Korea's nuclear weapons are a thing of the past.

"The concept is that we would get going with discussions after disabling, with the understanding that we would not conclude any peace arrangement until there's denuclearization," he said.

Hill, who flew Friday to Tokyo, says envoys¹³ to the six-nation talks are likely to meet again soon in Beijing to hear North Korea's promised full declaration of its nuclear programs. The job of accounting¹⁴ for and dismantling¹⁵ all of Pyongyang's nuclear materials and weapons - assuming that point is ever reached - would be expected early next year.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 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。

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 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

5 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

7 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

10 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

11 armistice   

n.休战，停战协定

参考例句：

• The two nations signed an armistice.两国签署了停火协议。
• The Italian armistice is nothing but a clumsy trap.意大利的停战不过是一个笨拙的陷阱。

12 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

13 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

14 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

15 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。