2007年VOA标准英语-Former US Ambassador to UN Skeptical Over Lates

By Michael Bowman
Washington
25 March 2007

A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says only regime change will cause Iran to halt its nuclear program. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, Ambassador John Bolton spoke¹ one day after the U.N. Security council voted to impose new sanctions on Tehran for refusing to stop enriching uranium.

Amb. John Bolton (file photo)

John Bolton says the Security Council resolution is a "useful" measure but will not, by itself, force Iran to shelve its nuclear ambitions.

"Iran has made it clear they are going to continue to pursue their 20-year-long effort to get nuclear weapons," he said. "I think they have shown their determination to resist the Security Council, and there is no sign that these resolutions are making them back away from that."

The former ambassador spoke on CNN's Late Edition program. The Security Council resolution, which was approved unanimously, bans Iranian arms sales and freezes the assets of people and organizations tied to the country's nuclear program. It follows another resolution, approved in December, which banned countries from supplying materials and technology to Iran that could be used to further the country's nuclear and missile development programs.

Tehran scoffed² at the December measure, and reacted similarly to the most recent resolution. Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that suspension of nuclear activities "is neither an option nor a solution."

Meanwhile, the European Union's top foreign policy official, Javier Solana, has expressed hope for a resumption of talks with Iran aimed at a negotiated settlement of the nuclear impasse³.

But Ambassador Bolton says he is skeptical⁴ that any amount of diplomatic pressure will convince Iran to change course.

"We need to accelerate a lot of things that are already underway: keeping Iran out of international financial markets more fully⁵, denying them materials and technology they need to complete their effort to gain mastery over the nuclear fuel cycle," he said. "But I think, ultimately, the only thing that will stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons is regime change in Tehran. This regime has shown zero evidence that it has changed its strategic decision. And, to date, the pressure that has been applied⁶ to them has not moved them an inch."

Bolton added that the United States must be prepared to deal military with Iran, but that it is the Iranian people who should bring about a change in their government.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and that the international community has no right to interfere⁷. The United States, the European Union and others have long-suspected Tehran aims to build a nuclear-weapons arsenal⁸.

Tensions between Iran and the West flared⁹ over Tehran's detention¹⁰ of 15 British naval¹¹ personnel Friday. Iran says the detainees entered Iranian waters while inspecting a merchant ship in a Persian Gulf¹² waterway. Britain is demanding their immediate¹³ release.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 scoffed   

嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scoffed at our amateurish attempts. 他对我们不在行的尝试嗤之以鼻。
• A hundred years ago people scoffed at the idea. 一百年前人们曾嘲笑过这种想法。

3 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

4 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

7 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

8 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

9 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

10 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

11 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

12 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

13 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。