2007年VOA标准英语-Russia to Stop Counter-Terrorism Cooperation wi

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
19 July 2007

Russia has escalated¹ its diplomatic dispute with Britain, expelling four British diplomats² and also suspending bilateral³ cooperation in the struggle against terrorism. VOA Correspondent Peter Fedynsky has details from Moscow.

Ministry4 spokesman Mikhail Kamynin speaks in the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, 19 Jul 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070723/0829400.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Mikhail Kamynin speaks in the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, 19 Jul 2007

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin says four British diplomats must leave Russia within 10 days. Moscow will also stop issuing visas to British government officials. These are in-kind reactions to London's expulsion Monday of four Russian diplomats.

The Kremlin response, however, takes the dispute a step further.

The Russian official says that to his country's regret, measures announced by London on July 16 make it impossible for Russia to cooperate with Britain in the struggle against terrorism.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called the expulsion of the four British diplomats "completely unjustified."

British-Russian ties have deteriorated⁵ since the Kremlin refused to extradite Alexander Lugovoi, a former KGB intelligence officer accused of murdering Kremlin-critic Alexander Litvinenko last year in London. Litvinenko was also an ex-KGB officer.

 

Meanwhile, the international community is calling for a resolution to the crisis.

In Berlin, the German Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will meet Friday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, for brief but intensive talks about the situation.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Sky News Television that Britain has nothing to gain by abandoning Russia. Secretary Rice added that Russia should cooperate fully⁶ with Britain and extradite Lugovoi to face trial on murder charges in Britain.

Portugal, in its capacity as current head of the European Union's rotating presidency⁷, expressed disappointment with Moscow's failure to cooperate with British authorities.

Russian officials responded to the Portuguese⁸ statement with surprise, saying selective application of European solidarity⁹ could harm relations between Russia and the European Union.

Kremlin officials say their country's constitution prohibits the extradition¹⁰ of Russian citizens.

 

Both sides have said they do not want worsening diplomatic relations to affect tourism, exchange programs or business. But political observer Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, a Moscow-based monthly magazine, says business will inevitably¹¹ suffer.

Lukyanov says those who would come to Russia to participate in big projects will not do so at the present time. He says he believes British companies will not get permission to come.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kamynin said Russia hopes common sense will prevail and Russian-British relations will be relieved of, as he put it, artificial burdens.

 

1 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

2 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》

3 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。

4 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。

5 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

6 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。

7 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

8 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

9 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

10 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

11 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。