VOA标准英语2009-Britain Offers Concessions to Push Cyprus Re

By Nathan Morley
Nicosia
11 November 2009

 
Britain has offered to give up half of the land occupied by its sovereign military bases in Cyprus if the divided island's leaders can seal a reunification deal.

In an attempt to show they are serious about supporting a solution to the protracted¹ Cyprus problem, Britain has renewed an offer to cede² about half the territory of its bases in Cyprus.

In an interview with VOA News, U.N. Spokesman Jose Diaz confirmed a letter had been sent to the United Nations pledging to transfer 45 square miles if a Cyprus settlement can be found.

"The special advisor³ of the secretary general was informed by the United Kingdom," he said. "The main condition is that there first has to be a settlement and it has to be ratified⁴ - then the land will be handed over."

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to unveil the initiative to try and  kick-start the Cyprus peace process at a meeting with Cypriot President Demetris Christofias at Downing Street.

The British sovereign bases were retained in Cyprus after the proclamation of the independent republic in 1960, some 4,000 troops and 7,000 dependents are live on the territory.

Speaking to VOA, Stuart Bardsley, the British Military spokesman in Cyprus outlined the function of the military bases.

"Well we are talking approximately about 99 square miles, and its sovereign base area which is land which is effectively governed by the UK and has an on-island administration that acts on behalf of the Queen in managing and governing that land," he said.

President Demetris Christofias, who represents the Greek Cypriot community and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have been locked in talks since late 2008, but so far little has been achieved.

Fully-fledged negotiations⁵ opened last September and if successful, these peace talks, could formally end the 35-year division of the island. 

Cyprus was split into a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north and an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south in 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a short-lived coup⁶ by supporters of union with Greece.

Turkey does not recognize the south.

The island joined the European Union in 2004, but only the Greek Cypriots enjoy membership benefits.

Neither side sees permanent partition as an option, but they are struggling to agree on how the island will be reunited.

The president also dismissed any notion of arbitration⁷ or strict timetables in the ongoing⁸ peace process. 

1 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 cede   

v.割让，放弃

参考例句：

• The debater refused to cede the point to her opponent.辩论者拒绝向她的对手放弃其主张。
• Not because I'm proud.In fact,in front of you I cede all my pride.这不是因为骄傲，事实上我在你面前毫无骄傲可言。

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

5 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。

6 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

7 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。