VOA标准英语2008年-Experts Debate Possibility, Effectiveness of Fu

By Sonja Pace
London
18 June 2008

How best to deal with Iran and its nuclear ambitions was a major theme throughout President Bush's just completed tour of European countries. He spoke¹ again of all options to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and found some support in Europe for further sanctions against Tehran. But, views are mixed about whether the current strategy will have an effect. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.
　

U.S. President George W. Bush (l) is seen at a press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (r) at the Foreign and Commonwealth2 Office in London, 16 Jun 2008

Iran came up at nearly every stop on President Bush's Europe visit and his message remained much the same, as again during a news conference in London.

"To provide pressure necessary to solve the problem diplomatically, that is my first choice. Iranians must understand that all options are on the table, however," he said.

The options include increased sanctions and isolation³ for Iran if it continues its nuclear enrichment program, or help to develop its civilian⁴ nuclear energy program and increased business, trade and investment if it stops producing its own nuclear fuel.

Talks have been ongoing⁵ and the European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, delivered a new package of economic incentives⁶ to the Iranians on Saturday in an effort to get them to comply with international demands to stop enriching uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons.

Speaking alongside President Bush in London on Monday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Iran that time is running out.

"If Iran continues to ignore resolutions, to ignore our offers of partnership⁷, we have no choice, but to intensify⁸ sanctions - and so today Britain will urge Europe and Europe will agree to take further sanctions against Iran," he said.

Mr. Brown announced that Britain is freezing overseas assets of Iran's largest bank and he vowed⁹ action on a new phase of sanctions on the oil and gas sectors¹⁰.
　

An Iranian technician works at the Isfahan Uranium Conversion11 Facilities (UCF), 420 kms south of Tehran (File)

Iran remains¹² defiant¹³ with the official Iranian news agency quoting Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Reza Sheikh Attar as saying uranium enrichment would continue.

At the Center for Arab and Iranian Studies in London, Iran analyst¹⁴ Ali Reza Nourizadeh tells VOA the international community must stay firm.

"This time President Bush and Prime Minister Brown and other European leaders are telling Iranians that they are more serious than before and this proposal is the last one," he said. "Take it or leave it."

Nourizadeh says that might get Iran to finally negotiate in good faith.

Others are not so sure. Political analyst, Michael Cox of the London School of Economics says targeted sanctions can have an impact, but notes that divisions within the international community make getting tougher and more comprehensive sanctions less likely.

"When oil prices are running at between $135 to $140 a barrel, when Russia and China, two permanent members of the Security Council, are not prepared to go with sanctions and indeed some European countries are not very keen on sanctions, including France and Germany," he explained. "On all those issues I think it is going to be very difficult to get a really serious sanctions regime."

Cox says the high price of oil is making the Iranians confident they can outlast¹⁵ any sanctions threat. As for the ultimate military option, Cox says the Europeans are vehemently¹⁶ against it.

Iran insists it wants to develop nuclear power for peaceful means only, but many in the international community do not believe that and fear Iran could soon have a nuclear weapon.

1 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。

2 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

3 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

8 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

9 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

10 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

12 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。

13 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

14 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

15 outlast   

v.较…耐久

参考例句：

• The great use of life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it.人生的充分利用就是为争取比人生更长久的东西而度过一生。
• These naturally dried flowers will outlast a bouquet of fresh blooms.这些自然风干的花会比一束鲜花更加持久。

16 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。