VOA标准英语2009年-Sarkozy: 'Too Soon to Talk of Good News in Gaza

French President Nicholas Sarkozy traveled to Egypt on Tuesday, after visiting Syria and Lebanon earlier in the day on a tour aimed at bringing peace to the conflict-torn Gaza Strip. There were few results. But, the French president was hopeful.
　

French President Nicolas Sarkozy speaks during a joint1 press conference at the Syrian presidential palace, in Damascus, 06 Jan 2009

It was a long day of shuttle diplomacy² for President Sarkozy - flying from Syria, to Lebanon, to Egypt, amid painstaking³ negotiations⁴.

Mr. Sarkozy brought his whirlwind tour to its final stop late Tuesday, meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Sinai resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh. The French president said it is still "too soon to talk of good news in Gaza," regarding a cease-fire, but that the situation is progressing.

He said that this is a very important moment in the conflict and that President Mubarak wants to begin talks with Israel over the security situation along its border with Gaza, perhaps within hours. He said that Mr. Mubarak agrees that firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas must stop.

President Sarkozy called for an immediate⁵ cease-fire and for Israel to withdraw from Gaza, but that there must "not be no victor or vanquished⁶ in this battle."
　

Smoke from Israeli operations rises near Gaza City, 6 Jan 2009

The Israeli military operation in Gaza, he added, would not bring Israel "any guarantee of security." Egypt, he said, is preparing to send a diplomatic delegation⁷ to Israel to discuss new security arrangements along its border.

Egyptian President Mubarak called the humanitarian⁸ crisis in Gaza "intolerable," and demanded an immediate ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor into Gaza.

Mr. Mubarak blamed the deteriorating⁹ situation in Gaza on Israel's military operations and said it is leading to an increase in tensions and instability in the Mideast.

Mr. Mubarak went on to spell out Egypt's proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the terms for a new regional security arrangement.

In addition to an immediate cease-fire, Mr. Mubarak called on Israel and the Palestinian parties to discuss security arrangements that would prevent a repeat of the current crisis, including the opening of border crossings and a lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Also on Tuesday, Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, met with a Palestinian delegation headed by two Hamas political leaders based in Syria.

The Hamas officials said they would convey Egypt's proposals to the group's political bureau for consideration.

1 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。

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

3 painstaking   

adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的

参考例句：

• She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。
• Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 vanquished   

v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制

参考例句：

• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I vanquished her coldness with my assiduity. 我对她关心照顾从而消除了她的冷淡。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 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。

9 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。