VOA标准英语2009年-Biden Meets with Lebanese Leaders in Beiru

U.S. Vice¹ President Joe Biden met Friday with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, two weeks before parliamentary elections. Lebanon's Western-backed government is locked in a close electoral contest with the pro-Syrian Hezbollah and its allies.

Vice President Biden is the highest-level U.S. official to visit Beirut since 1983.

Show of support
　
US VP Joe Biden (R) at a press conference with Pres. Michel Suleiman (L) at Baabda, east of Beirut, 22 May 2009

Following a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Mr. Biden told a joint² news conference the U.S. is not backing any party in Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary election. He said the U.S. strongly supports the Lebanese state, and its institutions.

"I do not come here to back any particular party or any particular person; I come to demonstrate strong United States backing for certain fundamental principles. The principle that the Lebanese people alone, the Lebanese people alone, should choose their leaders, a principle that Lebanese sovereignty cannot, will be and will not be traded away," said Biden.

President Suleiman assured Mr. Biden that the Lebanese state was preparing to "carry out the election in a fair and transparent³ way."

The Shi'ite group Hezbollah accused Mr. Biden of "meddling⁴ in Lebanon's internal affairs."

Not trying to interfere⁵

The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization and has been a strong supporter of the current government headed by Mr. Suleiman.

Vice President Biden said he was not trying to influence the elections, saying it is for the Lebanese people to decide on their government.

Mr. Biden also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, as well as with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora.

Lebanese political analyst⁶ Rami Khouri said the vice president has to tread carefully in talks with Lebanon's leaders.

"It's probably a good thing in principle. In practice it proves to be contentious⁷ when the U.S. gets involved in a heavy level or any external player gets involved. If any external actor who comes to Lebanon and is seen to be supporting one side or the other, it tends to muddy up the waters, so it really depends on what he says in private," he said.

A strong Hezbollah showing in the June 7 parliamentary elections could lead the U.S. to rethink its strategy toward Lebanon, as well as U.S. military support for the Lebanese Army, and further complicate⁸ Arab-Israeli peace efforts.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 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。

3 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

4 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

5 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

8 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。