VOA标准英语10月-US Envoy Arrives in North Korea, Hoping to Break

Washington's main envoy¹ on the North Korean nuclear issue is in Pyongyang, aiming to convince leaders there not to reverse promises they made last year. As VOA Seoul Correspondent Kurt Achin reports, if the talks fail, the stage could be set for the North to produce more material that can be used for nuclear weapons.
　

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Christopher Hill

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill made the short drive Wednesday from Seoul to South Korea's heavily armed border with North Korea, headed for a rare visit to Pyongyang.

Hill has been the point man in six-nation negotiations² aimed at getting rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons capabilities³. He says Pyongyang's recent moves to eject international inspectors⁴ and resume activity at its main nuclear reactor⁵ have dealt a serious blow to the process.

"What they've been doing obviously goes counter the spirit of what we've been trying to accomplish... so I would say we're in a very difficult, very tough phase of the negotiation," he said.

Before leaving the South, Hill told reporters he wants to persuade North Korea to fulfill⁶ its promise to set up verification for the nuclear declaration it made earlier this year. American and South Korean officials say the North offered clear verbal assurances at Beijing talks, last year, it would agree to a verification system in line with usual international practices - such as surprise visits by international inspectors to nuclear sites.

Hill says he understands the North is reluctant to follow through, but says the process cannot move forward without a verification agreement.

"It's not to say that we're going to have anything verified. The verification will actually take place later on," he said. "But we need to know what the rules of the road are for verification."

In August, President Bush cited the North's delay on a verification agreement when he decided⁷ not to remove North Korea from a State Department list of nations suspected of sponsoring terrorism. North Korea has maintained the verification issue is separate from the American promise to remove it from the terror list.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quotes an unnamed South Korean government source as saying there are signs of activity near the site of North Korea's 2006 underground nuclear test. The source in the report speculates North Korea may be trying to repair the site - possibly for a followup test - and says the South is monitoring the activity closely.

1 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。

2 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。

3 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 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》

5 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。

6 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。