VOA常速英语2008年-US Embargo Against Cuba to Remain Despite Castr

By David Gollust
Washington
19 February 2008

The United States said Tuesday there will be no early end to the U.S. economic embargo¹ of Cuba, despite Fidel Castro's resignation as head of state after 49 years. U.S. officials do not see Raul Castro, the retiring president's brother and political heir, as an agent of change. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

President Bush expressed hope, in comments in Rwanda, that the retirement² of Fidel Castro will mark the beginning of a democratic transition in Cuba.

However, officials here say they see no sign that Raul Castro, who has effectively run Cuba for nearly two years, is ready to end communist rule, and as such no major change in U.S. Cuba policy is expected.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, at a photo opportunity with Adriatic defense³ ministers, said he cannot imagine a change in the decades-old U.S. economic embargo against Cuba occurring anytime time soon.

In a talk with reporters, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said the United States remains⁴ ready to materially-assist a real democratic transition in Cuba, but that Raul Castro has given no indication that he is ready to facilitate change.

"The general analysis is that Raul Castro is 'Fidel light.' He is simply a continuation of the Castro regime, of the dictatorship. Certainly whatever is going on the ground in Cuba now, one thing is clear: you still have people in prison simply for expressing views. You still have a closed political system in which one party runs everything and controls everything, and you still have Raul Castro, as far as I know, believing that that's the system that ought to be upheld," he said.

Casey, dismissing the notion that Raul Castro is less rigid⁵ than his brother, said the United States would "love to be pleasantly surprised" and see him walk away from 50 years of dictatorship. However he said U.S. officials see no indication that this is where those in power in Havana are heading.

In his Rwanda comments, President Bush urged the release of Cuban political prisoners and said a political transition there should lead to free elections.

A commission Mr. Bush created in 2003 recommended a series of steps to promote the emergence⁶ of Cuba democracy, including stepped-up U.S. broadcasting to the island and support for non-governmental institutions. It pledged large-scale U.S. humanitarian⁷ aid for a transitional Cuban government.

1 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

2 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

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 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。

5 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

6 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

7 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。