2007年VOA标准英语-German Chancellor Warns Moscow on Human Rights

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
21 August 2007

German Chancellor¹ Angela Merkel says that her country's dependence² on Russian energy will not prevent her from criticizing Russia's human rights record. Ms. Merkel made the comments during a visit to Budapest, where she also discussed the future of Kosovo, the predominantly ethnic-Albanian province of Serbia. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures during a press conference in Parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, 21 Aug 2007

Energy issues were high on the agenda during German Chancellor Merkel's one-day visit to Hungary. There is growing unease in Germany, as well as in former Soviet³ satellite states, about their dependence on Russian oil and gas supplies.

Russia has in the past suspended energy shipments to some customers.

 

Germany receives roughly 30 percent of its natural gas from Russia and imports around 100 million tons of crude oil a year. Rights groups claim this dependence makes it difficult for Germany to take a stand on rights issues in Russia.

But after talks with Hungarian officials, Chancellor Merkel said Germany, as Europe's largest economy, would not allow trade relations to interfere⁴ with its efforts to support democratic reforms in Russia.

"Of course, energy relations are part of our relationship with Russia. But that doesn't mean we don't have the opportunity to give our opinion about certain developments," she said. "Just as the Russian president often criticizes us, we will also criticize Russia when we believe that certain human rights are not respected."

In addition to discussing energy issues, the German leader also spoke⁵ with Hungarian officials about the tense province of Kosovo, where the ethnic-Albanian majority seeks independence from Serbia.

Chancellor Merkel said she wanted to give the Russian, German and American negotiators time to resolve the status of Kosovo.

"We want, and this is also the opinion of the European Union, the negotiations⁶ to lead to a solution, which is both in the interest of Serbia and of Kosovo," she said. "That's why we will do our best to reach an agreement within the next 100 days," the chancellor adds.

Ms. Merkel said Hungary will also play a key role in the process. Not only is Hungary a neighbor of Serbia, but many ethnic-Hungarians also live in Serbia.

Some tensions remain between Germany and Hungary, including accusations⁷ that Hungarian workers are mistreated in Germany and charges of illegal dumping by German companies in Hungary.

Hungary's prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, says he hopes these difficulties will be overcome because Germany and Hungary now have a good relationship. He says that never since the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy⁸ has there been a country with which we have such a close relationship. Mr. Gyurcsany says Hungary hopes to increase this cooperation in economic, political and scientific areas."

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

8 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。