voa标准英语2008-Britain Calls for Urgent Ceasefire in Gaza

Three days into Israel's air assault on Gaza, Britain's Foreign Secretary warns of a very dark moment in the Middle East peace process. David Miliband is calling for an urgent, immediate¹ ceasefire. His is just one of many concerned voices in Europe and the Middle East.
　

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband (File Photo)

Miliband, who says the region is now in a very dangerous position, told British television that the problem in Gaza had been building for a long time, especially over the past year. And he says peace is - for now - the casualty.

"It has been a festering wound while the political negotiations³ have been going forward too slowly. And there has been a race really between political negotiation² on the one hand and the crisis in Gaza on the other," Miliband said. "The tragedy is, the crisis in Gaza has erupted before the political process has delivered real gains either for Israelis or for Palestinians. That is the heart of this problem."

The foreign secretary is calling for an immediate ceasefire by Israel and Hamas. Although he admits the air strikes have dealt peace efforts a tough blow, he still refuses to lose hope.
　

Protesters clash with police near the Israeli Embassy in central London during a demonstration4 against Israel's air strikes on Gaza, 28 Dec 2008

"I think it is far more difficult today than it was a week ago to argue with optimism about the next year," said Miliband. "But it is even more urgent and that is why diplomats⁵ around the world are so busy to ensure that the phone lines remain open, the meetings keep going and that the precious links that exist are not lost."

Elsewhere in Europe, France's foreign minister says the European Union is prepared to increase its humanitarian⁶ support for Gaza.

Pope Benedict Urges Diplomacy⁷ as Protests Erupt

Pope Benedict is urging the international community to redouble efforts to help Israel and the Palestinians break free from what he calls this dead end of violence.

In the Arab world, thousands attended protest rallies Sunday. An estimated 50,000 demonstrated in Egyptian cities. Demonstrators in Damascus waved green Hamas flags above their heads.

Protests were also held in Jordan, Sudan and Yemen.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

3 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。

4 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

5 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》

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。