VOA标准英语10月-UN General Assembly to Ask ICJ for Ruling on Koso

The U.N. General Assembly has voted to ask the International Court of Justice to give an advisory¹ opinion on whether Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia earlier this year conforms to international law. From United Nation's headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.
　

UN General Assembly

The vote in the General Assembly was 77 in favor, 74 abstentions and six against.

Many of the countries abstaining² or voting against the resolution referring the matter to the court said they were doing so because they felt Serbia was putting an essentially³ political issue before a judicial⁴ body.

Located at The Hague, the International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations.

The United States was one of the six countries that voted against the resolution. Representative Rosemary DiCarlo said asking the court for an advisory opinion on this question would be both "unnecessary and unhelpful" and said the United States is confident that recognition of Kosovo's independence by an increasing number of countries is consistent with international law.

"As a practical matter, Kosovo's independence is an irreversible matter. Forty-eight countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent state, including 22 of the 27 members of the European Union," she said.

But South Africa, which voted in favor of the resolution, said recognition is not the end of the story.

"While it may be true that 48 countries have recognized Kosovo, it is also important to note that 144 countries of this assembly have not taken that decision," said Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo.

Britain abstained⁵ from the vote, and afterwards, Ambassador John Sawers said that while his government strongly supports the court, it questioned the purpose of seeking a non-binding opinion on this matter.

"We question the utility of the question that has been proposed by Serbia. An advisory opinion cannot in itself be determinative of Kosovo's status," he said.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic introduced the resolution to the Assembly and said voting against it would mean that nothing could be done when secessionists anywhere asserted the uniqueness of their cause.

Last week, Kosovo's Foreign Minister, Skender Hyseni, told reporters at the United Nations that adoption⁶ of this resolution could harm future relations between Kosovo and Serbia, and could slow recognition of his country by some other capitals.

Analysts⁷ say a ruling from the International Court of Justice on this issue could take between one and two years. Some diplomats⁸ expressed concern that such a delay is not in the interest of stabilizing⁹ the southern Balkans.

1 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

2 abstaining   

戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的现在分词 )； 弃权（不投票）

参考例句：

• Abstaining from killing, from taking what is not given, & from illicIt'sex. 诸比丘！远离杀生，远离不与取，于爱欲远离邪行。
• Abstaining from arguments was also linked to an unusual daily cortisol pattern. 压抑争吵也造成每日异常的皮质醇波动。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

5 abstained   

v.戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 )；弃权（不投票）

参考例句：

• Ten people voted in favour, five against and two abstained. 十人投票赞成，五人反对，两人弃权。
• They collectively abstained (from voting) in the elections for local councilors. 他们在地方议会议员选举中集体弃权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 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》

9 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句