2007年VOA标准英语-IAEA Nuclear Inspectors Prepare For North Korea

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
25 June 2007

United Nations nuclear inspectors² are in Beijing, preparing to head to the North Korean capital to discuss a shutdown of the country's main nuclear reactor³. At the same time, a Russian bank has confirmed the final resolution of a money dispute which long obstructed⁴ diplomacy⁵ on the North Korean nuclear issue. VOA Seoul Correspondent Kurt Achin has more.

A little-known bank in Russia's far eastern city of Khabarovsk said Monday the long-standing dispute involving blocked North Korean funds has been put to rest.

On its web site, Dalkombank announced the disputed $25 million were relayed to a North Korean-controlled account on Monday. Later, the North Korean Central News Agency carried a Foreign Ministry⁶ statement confirming the transfer, and saying the funds would be used, in Pyongyang's words, "for improving the lives of our people and other humanitarian⁷ purposes."

The funds transfer clears the final hurdle⁸ to North Korea's implementation⁹ of a February agreement to begin dismantling¹⁰ its nuclear weapons programs. Pyongyang missed a promised deadline to shut down its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon by mid-April, refusing to take any action until its money was returned. The funds were frozen two years ago in a Macau bank by a U.S. investigation¹¹.

Olli Heinonen, chief inspector1 with the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency, talks to journalists after arriving the airport in Beijing, 25 June 2007

Olli Heinonen is the chief inspector with the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. He is in Beijing, where he says he will fly to Pyongyang on Tuesday to get the North's nuclear pledges back on track.

"So, the purpose of this trip is now to go to negotiate details on behalf of the IAEA on verification of the monitoring and closing down of this Yongbyon facilities," he said.

Heinonen and his team of nuclear inspectors are expected to spend five days in the North Korean capital.

The February agreement is the result of diplomatic efforts with the North involving the United States, Russia, Japan, China, and South Korea. The first phase of the agreement obligates Pyongyang to "disable" the Yongbyon facility.

Kim Taewoo, senior nuclear weapons researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense¹² Analyses in Seoul, says one of the main tasks for the IAEA team will be to ensure there is no confusion over what "disable" means.

Kim says the term itself means make it impossible to ever restart the facility. The nuclear inspectors will have to establish a clear sequence of actions that will ensure Yongbyon will never run again-- a task Kim believes will make for a very tough negotiation¹³.

International officials say more six-nation negotiations¹⁴ on the North's nuclear programs could take place in Beijing as early as July 10, assuming the Yongbyon shutdown is complete.

1 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

2 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

4 obstructed   

阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• Tall trees obstructed his view of the road. 有大树挡着，他看不到道路。
• The Irish and Bristol Channels were closed or grievously obstructed. 爱尔兰海峡和布里斯托尔海峡或遭受封锁，或受到了严重阻碍。

5 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。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

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 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。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 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。

13 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

14 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。