VOA标准英语2010年-Mideast Peace Talks to Restart

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (R) speaks while flanked by Special Envoy¹ for Middle East Peace Talks, Senator George Mitchell, 20 August 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday issued a formal invitation to Israel and the Palestinians to re-commence direct peace negotiations³ early next month in Washington after a break of nearly two years. U.S. officials say a peace accord can be achieved within a year, and that the United States is ready if needed to offer "bridging proposals."

 

U.S. officials have every expectation that the sides, after months of U.S. brokered⁵ indirect talks, will accept the invitation.

Plans are being made for President Obama to host a meeting of Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders September 1 on the eve of the formal re-launch of negotiations the following day at the State Department.

 

At a press event, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she and President Obama are encouraged by the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and share their commitment to a two-state solution of the conflict.

She said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah will attend in view of their critical role in the effort, and that continued Arab support will be essential to success.

Clinton appealed to both sides to avoid steps that would hinder direct negotiations and acknowledged that difficulties can be expected.

"Without a doubt we will hit more obstacles," she said. "The enemies of peace will keep trying to defeat us and to derail the talks. But I ask the parties to persevere⁶, to keep moving forward even through difficult times, and to continue working to achieve a just and lasting⁷ peace in the region."

Watch Secretary Clinton's Announcement:

 

'Bridging proposals'

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, whose shuttle diplomacy⁸ opened the way for the upgrade of the dialogue from so-called "proximity⁹ talks," said the direct talks will likely move after the opening meeting in Washington to a venue¹⁰ in the region.

He said it will be a negotiation² by the parties themselves on all final status issues in the peace process such as refugees and the status of Jerusalem, but said the United States will be ready with compromise ideas as needed.

"We will make bridging proposals at such time as we deem necessary and appropriate," said the envoy. "But I don't want anyone to have the impression that we are somehow going to supplant¹¹ or displace the roles of the parties themselves. Nor do we have any view other than this must in the end be an agreement by the parties themselves.

Mitchell a former Senate Majority Leader and 1990's peace broker⁴ in Northern Ireland, said he is under no illusion about the difficulty of the process.

He said the fact that there are opponents of peace in both Israeli and Palestinian societies and in the broader region, must not deter¹² the effort, saying that in his Northern Ireland role he encountered "about 700 days of failure, followed by one day of success."

"It takes patience, persistence¹⁴, a willingness to go back again and again, to not take the first no as a final no, to not take the 50th no as the final no, or the 100th no. We are patient, wed¹³ are persevering¹⁵ and we are determined¹⁶. And we believe there is a basis for concluding a peace agreement in the region and that's what we're going to pursue," said Mitchell.

In tandem¹⁷ with the announcement here, the international Middle East Quartet - the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States - issued a statement endorsing¹⁸ direct negotiations and urging the sides to refrain from "provocative¹⁹ actions and inflammatory rhetoric²⁰."

In language seen as critical to getting Palestinian participation²¹, the Quartet said an envisaged²² settlement would "end the occupation which began in 1967" and lead to regional peace as envisaged in U.N. Security Council resolutions and the 2002 Arab League peace initiative.

1 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。

2 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

5 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

6 persevere   

v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。
• It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 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。

9 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

10 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

11 supplant   

vt.排挤；取代

参考例句：

• Electric cars may one day supplant petrol-driven ones.也许有一天电动车会取代汽油驱动的车。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

12 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

13 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

14 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

15 persevering   

a.坚忍不拔的

参考例句：

• They will only triumph by persevering in their struggle against natural calamities. 他们只有坚持与自然灾害搏斗，才能取得胜利。
• Success belongs to the persevering. 胜利属于不屈不挠的人。

16 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

17 tandem   

n.同时发生；配合；adv.一个跟着一个地；纵排地；adj.（两匹马）前后纵列的

参考例句：

• Malcolm's contract will run in tandem with his existing one.马尔科姆的合同将与他手头的合同同时生效。
• He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.他正配合欺诈重案办公室的官员工作。

18 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

19 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

20 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

21 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

22 envisaged   

想像，设想( envisage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He envisaged an old age of loneliness and poverty. 他面对着一个孤独而贫困的晚年。
• Henry Ford envisaged an important future for the motor car. 亨利·福特为汽车设想了一个远大前程。