VOA标准英语2009年-ASEAN Ministers Discuss Cooperation and Se

Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are meeting with regional dialogue partners in Thailand to discuss challenges and cooperation. North Korea's nuclear programs and Burma's military government were high on the agenda. But neither country showed signs of flexibility¹.
　
South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan is seen during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers and South Korea ministerial meeting on the resort island of Phuket, Thailand, Wednesday, 22 July 2009

ASEAN's 10 foreign ministers held a series of meetings with counterparts from countries holding stakes in the region, including the United States.

The regional body met first with foreign ministers from China, Japan, and South Korea.

The so-called "ASEAN plus three" discussed issues ranging from food security and the economy to terrorism, Burma's lack of democracy, and North Korea's nuclear programs.

Kazuo Kodama is a spokesman for Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone. He told journalists that Japan and China also held a bilateral² meeting and agreed to keep the doors for dialogue open to North Korea, also known as the DPRK.

"But, at same time, of course, also, both Japan and China cannot tolerate DPRK becoming a nuclear-weapons state," Kodama said. "Nor a DPRK developing a ballistic-missile technology. Both of which pose a grave threat to the security and stability in the region."

Thailand had hoped to arrange a six-nation meeting on North Korea's nuclear programs that would include representatives from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States.

But, there was little information about who the North Koreans at the meeting met with other than Thai officials, who they asked to protect them from criticism.
　
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith (File)

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told journalists he shared concerns about reports of military cooperation between Burma and North Korea. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had earlier said such an alliance would pose a threat to the region.

Smith said he was also seeking a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiech to discuss the detention³ of an Australian executive for mining giant Rio Tinto, who is being held in China on suspicion of espionage⁴.

"I hope to have the opportunity of speaking to Foreign Minister Yang about this matter in the next day or so, but more importantly, officials continue to liaise about this matter and, as I have said on a number of occasions in Australia, I very much suspect that this is matter in which we are in for the long haul," Smith said.

The Japanese foreign minister's spokesman, Kodama, said the minister also met with his Burmese counterpart and urged the military government to listen to the international community's wishes.

Burma is under intense pressure to release political prisoners and allow for democracy.

But he said Burma maintained its position. In an ASEAN joint⁵ communiqué Monday, Burma indicated the international community should back off. It said pressure from the outside is hampering⁶ its moves towards democracy.

 

1 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

4 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

5 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。

6 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。