VOA标准英语2008年-Bush: Breakaway Regions Must Remain Part of Geo

U.S. President George Bush says Russia must not lay claim to the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush says all Russia forces must leave Georgia. Russia says there is no timetable for that withdrawal¹.
　
President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talk to reporters at president's ranch² in Crawford, Texas, 16 Aug 2008

President Bush says the breakaway republics at the center of this military conflict will remain part of Georgia.

"A major issue is Russia's contention³ that the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia may not be a part of Georgia's future. But these regions are a part of Georgia. And the international community has repeatedly made clear that they will remain so," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this past week said Georgia can forget about getting back the separatist regions as Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met with the self-declared leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

President Bush told reporters at his Texas ranch Saturday that the two regions lay clearly within Georgia's internationally recognized borders.

"Georgia's borders should command the same respect as every other nation's. There is no room for debate on this matter," he said.

Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn Saturday said Russian peacekeepers will never leave South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Foreign Minister Lavrov said there is no timetable for the withdrawal of Russian troops in Georgia outside those territories, and that pull-out remains⁴ contingent⁵ on security.
　
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Security Council meeting in Sochi, 16 Aug 2008

President Bush said President Medvedev's signing a cease-fire plan Saturday is an important development and a hopeful step. Mr. Bush said Russia must now honor that agreement and withdraw its forces from Georgia.

The president met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Saturday for a briefing on her meetings in France and Georgia. Rice said French President Nicholas Sarkozy told her that President Medvedev vowed⁶ to begin withdrawing troops the minute Georgia signed the cease-fire agreement. As they have not, Rice said Russians are perhaps already not honoring their word.

Rice travels to Brussels in the coming week for a meeting of foreign ministers, NATO allies and European Union officials to continue what President Bush says is America's efforts to rally the free world in defense⁷ of a free Georgia.

 

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

3 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

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 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

6 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。

7 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。