VOA常速英语2008年-US Nuclear Envoy Meets N. Korean Counterpart Am

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
19 February 2008

Washington's top envoy¹ on the North Korean nuclear issue has met with his North Korean counterpart, in hopes of ending Pyongyang's delay in declaring its nuclear programs. The declaration, now months overdue², is a key step in multinational³ talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear arsenal⁴ altogether. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill met Tuesday afternoon in Beijing with senior North Korean diplomat⁵ Kim Kye Kwan in Beijing, to try to revive the stalled nuclear weapons talks.

Before the meeting, Hill said the key to moving the process forward is in the hands of North Korea, known formally as the DPRK.

"I think the issue is the DPRK needs to be prepared to make a complete and correct declaration," said Hill.

Pyongyang promised early last year it would provide a detailed⁶ declaration of all its nuclear activities by the end of 2007. Two months later, negotiators are still waiting.

The declaration is part of a much larger process involving the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea. These nations would reward North Korea financially and diplomatically in exchange for steps toward complete nuclear disarmament. Pyongyang has taken significant steps toward stopping and disabling its main plutonium production facility at Yongbyon.

After his meeting in Beijing, Hill said he and Kim had a good, substantial discussion, but did not indicate any breakthroughs were made. He said the U.S. would not be satisfied with anything less than a "complete and correct declaration" of North Korea's nuclear pursuits.

Hill's next scheduled stop is South Korea for consultations⁷ with officials here. South Korea's Unification Ministry⁸ announced its own effort to bolster⁹ the six-nation process Tuesday, saying Seoul would soon ship nearly 3,000 tons of steel to the North, as it committed to do in the talks.

Ambassador Mitchell Reiss, formerly¹⁰ a senior State Department policy planner, visited Seoul this week as part of a panel to make security recommendations for Northeast Asia. He says the U.S. and its partners should continue to be patient, because they are negotiating from a position of strength.

"If the leadership in Pyongyang decides that it cannot abandon its nuclear weapons program, then we should be equally confident that we can continue to contain and deter¹¹ them," said Reiss. "We don't have to bribe¹² them in advance to try to bring about good behavior."

The diplomatic pressure for a breakthrough in the nuclear process is expected to mount next week, when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in the region. It remains¹³ unclear whether Rice will attend a highly symbolic¹⁴ performance of the New York Philharmonic next week in Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is expected to attend.

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 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

3 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

4 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

5 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。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 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》

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

10 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

11 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

12 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。