VOA标准英语2008年-Russian FM: No Timetable for Pullout From Georg

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russian troops have no timetable for withdrawing from Georgia under a cease-fire agreement both sides have signed. Lavrov told reporters in Moscow today the pullout is contingent¹ on the security situation in the region. Emma Stickgold has this report for VOA from Moscow.
　
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Security Council meeting in Sochi, 16 Aug 2008

President Dmitry Medvedev signed the six-point agreement in Sochi, the Black Sea resort town that is home to a presidential summer residence.

Under the terms of the agreement, both sides will pull back their armed forces to the positions held before the fighting broke out earlier this month, when Georgia launch a massive attack on the Russia-backed breakaway province South Ossetia.

A Ministry² of Defense³ spokesman General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said the conditions for work to begin are now in place.

Nogovitsyn said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the document with the peace agreement today and it has already been signed by Russia and Georgia without any changes made.

But, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists Saturday that there was no set timetable for the withdrawal⁴ of Russian troops, saying it will take "as long as needed," depending, in part, on what he described as "additional security measures."
　
Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn

Earlier, Nogovitsyn said that Russian peacekeepers will never leave the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He denied Georgia's allegations that Russia bombed a key railway bridge west of the capital Tbilisi hours before Moscow signed the cease-fire agreement.

Television images showed a portion of the Kaspi region bridge destroyed.

Witnesses say Russian troops remain entrenched⁵ deep in Georgian territory, away from the Abkhazian and South Ossetian borders, and that they still surround the key city of Gori.

The United States demanded on Friday that Russia pull out of Georgia immediately, accusing Moscow of "bullying⁶" its tiny southern neighbor by sending in troops and tanks.

On Saturday, U.S. President George Bush called Russia's response to Georgia's actions "completely unacceptable," in his weekly radio address. Mr. Bush said that the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia must remain part of Georgia.

 

1 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。

2 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。

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 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。

5 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

6 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》