voa标准英语2008年-US Rejects Russian Offer to Scrap European Miss

The Bush administration Thursday dismissed as not credible¹ a Russian offer to forego deployment² of missiles near Poland, if the United States drops its European missile defense³ plan. But U.S. officials said they still want dialogue with Moscow on a looming⁴ missile threat from Iran. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Officials here said the Russian proposal to nullify missile deployments on both sides is not a serious approach to the issue, buy they said they remain interested in talks with Moscow to ease Russian concerns about missile defense.

Russia has opposed, as a threat to its strategic deterrence⁵, a U.S. plan for a central European missile defense system to counter an anticipated threat from Iran.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to respond by putting short-range missiles in Russia's Kaliningrad enclave bordering Poland, where U.S. interceptor missiles are to be based.
　

President Dmitry Medvedev, 11 Nov 2008

But President Medvedev has told the French newspaper Le Figaro in remarks published Thursday Moscow would forego the deployment if the U.S. defense plan is scrapped⁶. Speaking after a NATO defense ministers meeting in Estonia, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Medvedev offer is not credible:

"Quite frankly⁷, I am not sure what the missiles would be for in Kaliningrad," he said. After all, the only real emerging threat on Russia's periphery⁸ is in Iran, and I do not think the Iskander missile has the range to get there from Kaliningrad. This is an issue apparently⁹, between ourselves and the Russians. Why they would threaten to point missiles at European nations seems quite puzzling to me," said Gates.

Mr. Medvedev also told Le Figaro he wants a frank and honest relationship with the incoming Barack Obama administration, which he said he hopes will abandon the missile defense plan.
　

U.S. Defense Sec. Robert Gates at a press conference during informal NATO-Ukraine consultations10, Tallinn, 13 Nov 2008

Secretary Gates, who reportedly could be asked to stay on in the next administration, said threatening to put missiles in Kaliningrad a day after the U.S. election is hardly the way to make a good start. He called the Medvedev remarks provocative¹¹ and misguided.

The State Department, meanwhile, said the Bush administration still wants talks with Moscow on new U.S. proposals designed to allay¹² Russian concerns about the missile defense system.

The revised package, which among other things would give Russian inspectors¹³ access to missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, has been dismissed by un-named Russian officials as inadequate¹⁴.

But State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood said Thursday efforts are still underway to arrange a Moscow visit by the department's arms control chief, John Rood, to discuss the proposals:

"We believe it's in the best interests of the United States and its European allies. We think it's something Russia needs to take seriously, these future threats from the Middle East. We're very concerned about it and we think missile defense is the right approach. We want to cooperate with Russia, but we need a partner," he said.
　

President-elect Barack Obama (Nov 2008 file photo)

President-elect Obama has expressed concern about the cost and technical viability¹⁶ of Bush administration missile defense efforts. But a senior diplomat¹⁷ who spoke¹⁵ here said the next administration could decide to pursue the program, and that the Bush administration in any case intends to press its agenda until the January 20th Obama inauguration¹⁸.

1 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

2 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

5 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

6 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

7 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

8 periphery   

n.(圆体的)外面；周围

参考例句：

• Geographically, the UK is on the periphery of Europe.从地理位置上讲，英国处于欧洲边缘。
• The periphery of the retina is very sensitive to motion.视网膜的外围对运动非常敏感。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

12 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

13 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》

14 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

15 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。

16 viability   

n.存活(能力)

参考例句：

• What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
• Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。

17 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

18 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。