VOA标准英语2009年-Iran Says Diplomacy Still Option in Nu

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says hope remains¹ for a diplomatic solution to the international dispute over his country's nuclear program

Elizabeth Arrott | Cairo 30 November 2009

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani speaks with media, during his press conference in the parliament, Tehran, 30 Nov 2009

Iran's speaker of parliament says hope remains for a diplomatic solution to the international dispute over his country's nuclear program.  The comment comes one day after the government said it would build 10 new nuclear facilities, in defiance² of international demands.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani's outreach Monday seemed to temper the announcement of plans to build the new uranium enrichment plants.

Larijani said parliament expects the nuclear issue, currently being negotiated by six major world powers, can be resolved by diplomatic means.

The parliament speaker also repeated Iran's position that it is abiding³ by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a rebuttal to western suspicions that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons.

Also Monday, the head of Iran's nuclear program, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Iran had no intention of building the new enrichment plants until the International Atomic Energy Agency censured⁵ Tehran last week.

The IAEA board overwhelmingly chose to criticize Iran for failing to cooperate on nuclear issues and called on Tehran to halt construction of a recently revealed uranium enrichment plant. 

China and Russia went along with the censure⁴, leaving Iran without its traditional backers in international negotiations⁶.

Western powers have long been concerned that Iran is enriching uranium for military purposes.  The material would need to reach 90-percent enrichment to be suitable for nuclear weapons.  Currently, Iran is enriching to fuel grade, about three percent.  

A massive increase in enrichment capacity - without any clear Iranian plans for corresponding civilian⁷ energy use, such as new reactors⁸ - has added to Western worries.

 

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

3 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

4 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。

5 censured   

v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 )

参考例句：

• They were censured as traitors. 他们被指责为叛徒。 来自辞典例句
• The judge censured the driver but didn't fine him. 法官责备了司机但没罚他款。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。