VOA标准英语2009年-Arab Ranks Divided as Pressure Mounts to Hold G

Arab leaders and diplomats² are engaged in an increasingly bitter quarrel over the need to hold an emergency summit to discuss a cease-fire in Gaza, where the death toll³ has now risen to more than 1,000. Diplomatic efforts continued Thursday in Cairo where Israeli envoy⁴ Amos Gilad has been conveying Israel's position to Egyptian mediators.
　
Palestinians transport wounded people in a car outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital, 15 on Jan 2009

Arabs leaders and diplomats are taking their deep divisions over the conflict in Gaza into the open, as Arab public pressure mounts to do something. Egyptian mediators raced against the clock to broker⁶ a truce⁷, conferring four hours with Israeli Assistant Defense⁸ Minister Amos Gilad in Cairo.
　
A member of the Hamas delegation⁹, Salah Bardawil, at a press conference in Cairo, 14 Jan 2009

A Hamas delegation, from both the Gaza Strip and Damascus also met with Egyptian mediator⁵ Omar Suleiman, Wednesday.

Salah Bardawil, a member of the Hamas delegation, indicated that he was waiting to hear Israel's response to his group's position over a cease-fire.

He said that Hamas has not received an official [Israeli] response, so far, but that with the return of [Israel's] envoy [to Cairo], there should be clarifications in the next few hours about what was said, and the Egyptians are obliged to convey them.

Israel also sent a top diplomat¹ to Washington to seek international guarantees that Hamas would not re-arm. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev indicated that there was "momentum¹⁰" in negotiations¹¹ and Israel was hopeful a deal was "close and attainable¹²."

Meanwhile, Arab leaders have yet to agree on calls for an emergency summit in Qatar, despite repeated calls from Qatar's Emir Hamad ben Jassem al Thani to hold one to discuss the Gaza conflict. Emir Hamad said earlier that it was urgent to hold the summit and to take action.

He said that the number of casualties in Gaza has practically doubled since he first called for a summit, and that despite the realities of world politics it is our duty to come up with a joint¹³ [Arab] position and make decisions that have clout¹⁴.
　
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, (file photo)

Arab League Chief Amr Moussa, however, indicated that only 13 of the necessary 15 Arab states have called for a summit, and absent a quorum¹⁵, the Qatar summit will remain open for discussion, while Arab Foreign Ministers proceed with a Friday meeting in Kuwait to discuss the crisis.

Moussa deplored¹⁶ the increasingly bitter quarrel among Arab leaders, alluding¹⁷ to tensions between the more moderate Arab states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and other states such as Syria that support Hamas.

He complained that, regrettably, there's a lot of tension among Arab states, and that he hadn't expected this situation and did not want it to occur….but that in their eagerness to put an end to the conflict, Arab leaders have gone off onto futile¹⁸ tangents.

At the same time, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, whose country supports Hamas, both militarily and financially, chastised¹⁹ Saudi King Abdallah, urging him to "speak out about the situation in Gaza." He also denounced Israel for its invasion of Gaza, saying once again that it "no longer has the right to exist as a Jewish state in the region."

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

5 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

6 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

7 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

8 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。

9 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。

10 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

11 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。

12 attainable   

a.可达到的，可获得的

参考例句：

• They set the limits of performance attainable. 它们确定着可达到的运行限度。
• If objectives are to be meaningful to people, they must be clear, attainable, actionable, and verifiable. 如果目标对人们是具有意义的，则目标必须是清晰的，能达到的，可以行动的，以及可供检验的。

13 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。

14 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

15 quorum   

n.法定人数

参考例句：

• The meeting is adjourned since there is no quorum.因为没有法定人数会议休会。
• Three members shall constitute a quorum.三名成员可组成法定人数。

16 deplored   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They deplored the price of motor car, textiles, wheat, and oil. 他们悲叹汽车、纺织品、小麦和石油的价格。 来自辞典例句
• Hawthorne feels that all excess is to be deplored. 霍桑觉得一切过分的举动都是可悲的。 来自辞典例句

17 alluding   

提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He didn't mention your name but I was sure he was alluding to you. 他没提你的名字，但是我确信他是暗指你的。
• But in fact I was alluding to my physical deficiencies. 可我实在是为自己的容貌寒心。

18 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

19 chastised   

v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He chastised the team for their lack of commitment. 他指责队伍未竭尽全力。
• The Securities Commission chastised the firm but imposed no fine. 证券委员会严厉批评了那家公司，不过没有处以罚款。 来自辞典例句