VOA常速英语2008年-US, Russia to Hold Talks on Missile Defense

By Meredith Buel
State Department
14 March 2008

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates are scheduled to meet their Russian counterparts early next week in Moscow to continue their strategic dialog on missile defense and other issues. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has a preview of the visit in this report from the State Department.

Secretaries Rice and Gates will be meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in what is being called the two-plus-two format² designed to improve the two countries strategic relationship.

The four last met in October and are expected to discuss the U.S. plan to build a missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Russia opposes the plan, but according to State Department spokesman Sean McCormack the U.S. has presented proposals designed to ease Moscow's concerns.

"Obviously they will talk about missile defense and there have been some creative proposals from us that have been on the table for several months and they have been a topic, and a source, for discussion with the Russian government," said McCormack. "I would expect that discussion continues during this two-plus-two session."

McCormack declined to discuss the proposals in detail, but other U.S. officials say there has been an unprecedented³ exchange of intelligence information between the United States and Russia regarding the missile threat and details of how the shield would work.

Officials say there have been technical exchanges among experts to answer Moscow's concerns that the shield, which consists of a radar⁴ system and surface-to-air interceptors, presents no threat to Russia's strategic nuclear weapons program.

The officials say the United States is also proposing what is being called a joint⁵ regional missile defense architecture designed to defend the United States, Russia and Europe from a missile attack.

U.S. officials are also proposing a range of transparency and confidence-building measures and spokesman Sean McCormack says talks on those issues are expected to continue when Rice and Gates meet their counterparts in Moscow.

"We think this is in our interest and the interest of our friends and allies to protect against launches from rogue⁶ regimes such as Iran," he said. "It is in no way, shape or form, directed at Russia. In fact there is no way that nine or ten interceptors could act as a deterrent⁷ against a significant, still significant, Russian nuclear arsenal⁸."

While McCormack says he expects serious discussions, he declined to predict whether any significant progress would be made on the missile defense issue during the upcoming talks in Moscow.

The leaders are also expected to discuss joint U.S.-Russian initiatives on non-proliferation, the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the fight against terrorism.

1 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。

2 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

3 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

4 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

7 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

8 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。