VOA标准英语2009年-Egyptian President Meets Israeli Leader to

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Cairo to discuss the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the release of a captured Israeli soldier by the Palestinian militant¹ party Hamas. Egypt has mediated³ talks between Hamas and Israel in the past.
　
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak (r) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Cairo, 13 Sep 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss West Bank settlements.

The issue is far from being settled. The United States has called for Israel to freeze settlement construction, but in response Israel insisted the freeze would be time-limited and exclude settlements currently under construction.

Last week, Mr. Netanyahu offered to halt Israeli settlement construction in exchange for normalization⁴ with Arab states. This offer was rebuffed by the Arab League and Hamas leadership.

Chair of the Political Science Department at the American University in Cairo Walid Kazziha says that it is likely that Mr. Netanyahu will be attempting to get Mr. Mubarak to ease pressure on Israeli settlement issue.

"By meeting Mubarak, coming to see Mubarak, is to promise Mubarak something or others so that Mubarak will tone down on this [issue]," said Walid Kazziha.

This visit marks Mr. Netanyahu's second visit to Cairo since May.

The two heads of states are also expected to discuss Egypt's efforts to mediate² a prisoner swap⁵ between Israel and Hamas. The deal would include the release of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2006.

Egypt has been mediating⁶ between rival Palestinian factions⁷ - Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, U.S. envoy⁸ George Mitchell will be meeting with Mr. Netanyahu and is expected to further discuss stopping Israeli expansion.

Kazziha says he is not assured Egyptian and American involvement will change the course of the peace process.

"The American pressure is there, but it has not yet manifested itself in a crisis situation," said Kazziha. "The Americans are demanding from the Israelis to stop their settlements or their expansion. There is no crisis, and this could drag on."

There could be a possible revival⁹ of peace talks, which have been suspended since December. The meeting would involve Mr. Netanyahu, U.S. President Barack Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas alongside the U.N. General Assembly in New York later this month.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

3 mediated   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的过去式和过去分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• He mediated in the quarrel between the two boys. 他调解两个孩子之间的争吵。
• The government mediated between the workers and the employers. 政府在工人与雇主间搞调和。

4 normalization   

n.（normalisation）正常化，标准化

参考例句：

• The visit signalled the normalization of relations between the two countries.这次访问显示两国关系已经正常化。
• He was pleased to the normalization of relationship between the police and the people.他很高兴警方和人民之间关系的正常化。

5 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

6 mediating   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的现在分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• So many factors are mediating. 如此众多的因素在起作用。
• The contrast in mediating noted in the sitting room. 客厅中注重了调和中的对比。

7 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

8 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

9 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。