VOA标准英语2011--US Seeks Libya's Expulsion From UN Human

The United States said Thursday it will seek Libya's expulsion from the U.N. Human Rights Council as an initial step to try to bring an end to violence in the North African country. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join in a meeting of the U.N. panel on Monday in Geneva.
Officials here say the United States will back the expulsion when the U.N. rights panel convenes¹ on Friday in Geneva, in what they say is an opening move in an international effort to pressure the Libyan government to end its violence against protestors.
The expulsion move, which would need to be approved by the U.N. General Assembly, is a prelude² to an unusual ministerial level meeting of the council next Monday to be attended by Clinton.
State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley said the Geneva event will be a forum⁴ for Clinton and her colleagues to discuss international action on the Libya crisis.
"One of the reasons she is going to Geneva is to address the Human Rights Council. But another reason is that it will provide an opportunity with a number of her counterparts in Geneva for the kinds of consultations⁵ that are needed, so that we can have effective action going forward - both in multilateral settings, as well a decisions that we'll make as a government here."
The spokesman said the Obama administration, under criticism by some members of Congress and others for a muted response on Libya, is examining a full range of options for pressuring the Tripoli government, and that further steps will be announced soon. Crowley said the U.S. military has been involved in the consultations and that the Pentagon is "doing its own thinking" on options that can be presented to President Barack Obama.
The administration, meanwhile, is engaged in wide-ranging diplomatic consultations on Libya.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns, who was in Algeria on Thursday to meet President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, spoke³ twice by telephone from Algiers with Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa.
Crowley said Libyan officials have conveyed messages from Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi to the Obama administration in recent days.
A senior official here said they were similar to public comments by the Libyan leader in which he blamed al-Qaida and other foreigners for the unrest. He said the United States does not see the events in the same way.

1 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

2 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》