VOA标准英语 Obama Outreach Weighed in Mideast

U.S. President Barack Obama has made dialogue with the Middle East a priority in his early months in office. As the Obama administration approaches the 100 day mark, regional leaders are assessing the result.
　
US President Barack Obama with Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House, 21 Apr 2009

Jordan's King Abdullah is one of the new American president's strongest allies in the Middle East.

The two struck up a friendship during then-candidate Barack Obama's trip to the region last year. And the Jordanian monarch¹ came to the White House last week as a prelude² to a new round of personal diplomacy³ by the president designed to get the Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on track.

Before leaving Washington, King Abdullah sat down for an interview broadcast Sunday on the NBC television news program Meet the Press.

He said President Obama's message of engagement has been well received in the Middle East.

"Wherever you go - and all the leaders I have spoken to in the Middle East - this president provides hope," said King Abdullah.

King Abdullah said he has urged the president to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, saying that is the key to resolving all the other problems in the region.

"Unless we solve the core issue of the Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Arab challenges then we will always be an area of instability that costs all of us," he said.

He was then asked about President Obama's gestures to Iran. King Abdullah urged Tehran not to turn away.

"I think that President Obama's gesture of dialogue is one that Iran should not take for granted," said the Jordanian monarch.

But the response from Iran's president is mixed at best.
　
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, delivers his speech at a meeting of top prosecutors⁴ from Islamic countries, in Tehran, Iran, 22 Apr 2009

In a recorded interview aired Sunday on ABC's This Week program, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his government is working on a proposal for talks. But he declined to say when it might be ready or what it might contain.

"We think that we should prepare the ground so that all states and peoples can have their say," said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran's president also defended statements he made last Monday before a U.N. conference in which he called Israel the most cruel and racist⁵ regime in the world. Western nations walked out of the meeting hall in protest, and Mr. Obama condemned⁶ the remarks.

President Obama has made several overtures⁷ to Iran since taking office - part of his outreach to the Muslim world. Last month, he delivered a videotaped address to the Iranian people as they marked the Persian New Year.

President Ahmadinejad's comments in the ABC interview only added to the muddled⁸ response coming from Iranian leaders. And there are now signs the Obama administration is waiting for the results of Iran's presidential election in June.

1 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

2 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

3 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。

4 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

7 overtures   

n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲

参考例句：

• Their government is making overtures for peace. 他们的政府正在提出和平建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had lately begun to make clumsy yet endearing overtures of friendship. 最近他开始主动表示友好，样子笨拙却又招人喜爱。 来自辞典例句

8 muddled   

adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子

参考例句：

• He gets muddled when the teacher starts shouting. 老师一喊叫他就心烦意乱。
• I got muddled up and took the wrong turning. 我稀里糊涂地拐错了弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》