2007年VOA标准英语-Russia Mulls EU Peacekeeping Proposal for Pales

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
10 July 2007

Russia says it is prepared to consider a proposal by a group of European Union foreign ministers to send peacekeepers to the Palestinian territories. The Moscow response comes as Russian citizens evacuated¹ from recent violence in Gaza returned home. VOA correspondent Peter Fedynsky has this report from the Russian capital.

Russian Foreign Ministry² Spokesman Mikhail Kamynin told Ekho Moskvy Radio in Moscow that his country is prepared to consider a European Union proposal to send peacekeepers into the Palestinian territories. But Kamynin added that it would be impossible to develop the proposal without the approval of the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

Russia, along with the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, is a member of the Quartet on the Middle East, whose goal is to mediate³ the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The proposal for peacekeepers was made by 10 foreign ministers from the EU's Mediterranean⁴ countries during a meeting in Slovenia last week. They published it in the French newspaper Le Monde as an open letter to new Middle East envoy⁵ Tony Blair. The peacekeeping proposal was initially⁶ advanced by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

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Retired Russian General Leonid Ivashov, 10 July 2007

Speaking at a Moscow news conference, retired Russian General Leonid Ivashov, former information director for the Russian Army General Staff, said the population density⁸ in the Palestinian territories makes it unlikely that Israel can maintain peace in Gaza through military force.

Ivashov, now a military analyst⁹, says Israeli actions in Gaza will mostly likely consist of police and special forces operations. He says army units would only be used for support, to make precision strikes or in blocking actions.

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Russian evacuees from Gaza arrive at Domodedevo Airport in Moscow, 10 July 2007

Meanwhile, 22 Russian, Ukrainian, and Kazakh citizens evacuated from Gaza this week arrived in Moscow Tuesday sharing impressions of the fighting between Hamas and Fatah factions¹¹. Sarah, an 18-year-old Russian student, returned home with a deep sense of relief.

Sarah says it was "very frightening. Everybody worried about what would happen, would it be war, or what? It was very frightening, but for us it's over."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in the Palestinian territories in late June. He met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his trip and underscored the need for agreement among Palestinians themselves.

1 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

2 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。

3 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

4 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

5 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。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 evacuees   

n.被疏散者( evacuee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Moreover, for multi-exits, evacuees select a exit based on game theory. 在有多个出口时，疏散人员根据对策论选择出口。 来自互联网
• Evacuees wade through flooded area following heavy monsoon rains in Peshawar on Saturday, July 31, 2010. 撤离灾区涉水通过后在白沙瓦沉重的季风降雨在周六，2010年7月31日。 来自互联网

11 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别