VOA标准英语2008年-Russian Lawmakers Urge Recognition of Breakaway

The Russian parliament has voted unanimously to recommend the government recognize the independence of the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetian and Abkhazia. VOA Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports from Moscow the move could be a violation¹ of the 1975 Helsinki Agreement, which fixed² the post-War borders of Europe.
　
Presidents of Georgia's breakaway regions: Eduard Kokoity of South Ossetia (L) and Sergei Bagapsh of Abkhazia (R) converse³ inside Russian Duma, 25 Aug 2008

Russian lawmakers took turns addressing their colleagues before the vote in each house of Parliament, the Duma and Federation⁴ Council, but it is not likely any members needed convincing - the decision to recommend recognition was unanimous.

All speakers framed their remarks in terms of Georgian aggression⁵, allegations of genocide against the Ossetian people, as well as U.S. and Western opportunism in the Caucasus.

Upper House leader Sergei Mironov told the Federation Council that South Ossetia and Abkhazia have all the necessary prerequisites⁶ for independent statehood. And Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov told lawmakers the Caucasus has been and will always remain in what he referred to as "the zone of Russia's strategic interest."

Gryzlov says those interests will be realized regardless of statements made at any foreign podiums. He says the strategic interests of Russia correspond with the interests of all peoples in the Caucasus. Those interests, says Gryzlov, are geared first of all at the security of the region and the whole world.

South Ossetia, Abkhazia tell Parliament they do not want to be part of Georgia

The President of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoiti, and his Abkhaz counterpart, Sergei Bagapsh, were invited to speak in both houses of Parliament. Both said neither region ever wants to be together with Georgia. The Abkhaz leader called the day "truly historic."

Bagapsh said it is a day when the fate of small peoples is decided⁷; peoples who want to live in a global constellation⁸ with others and to complement⁹ them with their distinct customs and cultures.

It will be up to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to accept or decline the recommendation of Parliament.

How could this affect the Helsinki Accords?

Human rights activist¹⁰ Lyudmila Alexeyeva, a founding member of the Moscow Helsinki Group, told VOA that recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia would represent a violation of the Helsinki Accords. Signatories of the 1975 document agreed to recognize the inviolability of post-War boundaries of Europe. Alexeyeva characterized the parliamentary recommendation as highly irresponsible.

Alexeyeva says if the president of a self-declared republic that is recognized by no other country makes a certain proposal it does not mean the Russian Federation Council should follow up with a recommendation for recognition. The activist says the fact that somebody, for example, stole something or did something stupid does not mean Russia should steal or do something stupid.

Russia is considered the successor state to the Soviet¹¹ Union, which insisted on recognition of post-War borders in Europe as a way of securing Moscow's influence in Eastern Europe. In return, Western countries demanded that the Helsinki Agreement include respect for human rights as well as economic, scientific and other humanitarian¹² cooperation.

Moscow justifies¹³ potential violation of accords

Moscow says the West violated the agreement when it recognized the independence of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia, which is a close ally of Russia. Several lawmakers mentioned Kosovo as a precedent¹⁴ for Russian recognition of Georgia's breakaway regions.
　
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili (12 Aug 2008 file photo)

In an interview published in the French newspaper Liberation, Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russian recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia would represent an attempt to change Europe's borders by force. He cautioned the move would bring disastrous¹⁵ results to Russia and other countries.

In a sign that events in the Caucasus are affecting other ethnic¹⁶ minorities in Russia, the Tatar Independence Party, Ittifak," is circulating an appeal calling for the independence of Tatarstan, an oil-rich republic in central Russia. Tatars make up nearly 53 percent of the population, followed by ethnic Russians at nearly 40 percent. The remainder includes such ethnic groups as the Chuvashes, Udmurts, Maris, and Bashkirs.

The Ittifak appeal notes that Tatarstan's majority voted for independence in 1992, but was denied international recognition because of pressure and threats from Moscow.

 

1 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

6 prerequisites   

先决条件，前提( prerequisite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Good muscles are one of the prerequisites of physical fitness. 肌肉发达是身体健康的一个必备条件。
• One of the outstanding prerequisites of any city is a local transportation system. 本地运输系统是任何城市的突出前提条件之一。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

9 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

10 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

11 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

12 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。

13 justifies   

证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护）

参考例句：

• Their frequency of use both justifies and requires the memorization. 频繁的使用需要记忆，也促进了记忆。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In my judgement the present end justifies the means. 照我的意见，只要目的正当，手段是可以不计较的。

14 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

15 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

16 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。