VOA标准英语2010年-Foreign Minister Says Indonesia Will B

"We should be seen as being part of the solution to many of the world's ill." - Marty Natalegawa.

At his annual briefing to journalists Friday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa says his country is enjoying enhanced diplomatic status following its successful presidential election last year. And he says with this new status also comes new responsibility.

"Indonesia has transformed itself for the past years, to not only become the third largest democracy in the world," noted¹ Natalegawa. "It is a status of great importance therefore and we are now potentially reaping the benefit of that democratic dividend², but it means therefore our foreign policy will have to better reflect our internal domestic concerns. We have to be on the right side of the debate in terms of various issues and also in terms of process. It has to be more inclusive in terms of foreign policy making. So all in all I think our democracy is one of our key assets."

In the past year Indonesia also faced threats, conflict and crisis. The July bombing of two hotels in Jakarta, which killed nne people, was the first significant terrorist attack in Indonesia in five years.

A separatist movement in Papua remains³ active. Police blamed rebels for shootings at a U.S.-owned mine in July, and in December a separatist leader was fatally shot while fleeing police.

And two devastating⁴ earthquakes killed thousands, testing the government's ability to respond to natural disasters.

Natalegawa says these crises have not overshadowed Indonesia's democratic progress and stable economy. One of the keys to Indonesia's success, he says, has been its ability to find common ground with diverse ethnic⁵ and religious viewpoints. Now he plans to apply these lessons internationally on such issues as climate change, economic development, and potential energy and food crises.

"We should be seen as being part of the solution to many of the world's ill," he said. "We are not interested in accentuating⁶ differences. That is easy to do and others may want to do that. We want to be playing the role of bridge building, part of the solution, voice of moderation. The best is yet to come in Indonesia's foreign policy."

Indonesia will take on a more vocal⁷ individual role in international matters, he says, but it will continue to work through international organizations such as the United Nations and regional groups.

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。

3 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。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 accentuating   

v.重读( accentuate的现在分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于

参考例句：

• Elegant interior design accentuating the unique feeling of space. 优雅的室内设计突显了独特的空间感。 来自互联网
• Accentuating the positive is an article of faith here. 强调积极面在这里已变成一种信仰。 来自互联网

7 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。