2007年VOA标准英语-Rice Continues Missile Defense Talks in Moscow

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
15 May 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talks during a press conference after the closing session of the Expanded Ministerial Conference for the Neighbors of Iraq, 04 May 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, later Tuesday for talks aimed at improving ailing¹ U.S.-Russian relations ahead of next month's G-Eight Summit in Germany, when President Putin will meet President George Bush. For more on the story, we go to VOA's Lisa McAdams in Moscow.

Russia's resistance to American plans to deploy² an anti-missile defense³ shield in Poland, the Czech Republic and a third - as yet unnamed - nation in the Caucasus is expected to dominate the Rice-Putin talks at the Kremlin.

Also on the agenda, American concerns Russia, under Putin, is back-tracking on democratic gains and about Russia's resistance to a draft United Nations Security Council resolution supporting supervised independence for Kosovo.

On all topics, the divide between the United States and Russia is wide, according to the Director of the Heritage Foundation in Moscow, Yevgeni Volk.

 

"I would not overestimate⁴ the feasible results of Ms. Rice's talks in Moscow," he said. "I believe both sides will repeat their positions, reiterate⁵ their claims, but, unfortunately, I don't believe, at present, much success can be achieved at bringing each other's positions closer to each other."

Volk says, with U.S.-Russian relations now at one of their lowest points in the past two decades, disagreements will prevail over common ground.

Rice was more optimistic, on arrival in Russia Monday. She told reporters there is no reason to speak of a new "Cold War" between Russia and the United States, although she acknowledges it is not an easy time for the bilateral⁶ relationship.

Mr. Putin has accused the United States of making the world a more dangerous place, while Ms. Rice terms the concentration of power in the Kremlin "troubling."

1 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 overestimate   

v.估计过高，过高评价

参考例句：

• Don't overestimate seriousness of the problem.别把问题看重了。
• We overestimate our influence and our nuisance value.我们过高地估计了自己的影响力和破坏作用。

5 reiterate   

v.重申，反复地说

参考例句：

• Let me reiterate that we have absolutely no plans to increase taxation.让我再一次重申我们绝对没有增税的计划。
• I must reiterate that our position on this issue is very clear.我必须重申我们对这一项议题的立场很清楚。

6 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。