VOA标准英语2008年-Western Leaders Say Russia Pullout from Georgia

Russian military trucks have started to inch their way back into Russia, but Western leaders said Wednesday that the movement from Georgia to positions agreed upon in a ceasefire accord was too limited and slow. And in Moscow, leaders were getting ready to hold discussions on whether to officially recognize Georgia's breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, around which this conflict has been based. Emma Stickgold has this report for the VOA from Moscow.
　
Russian troops in western Georgia, 20 Aug 2008

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has said that all but 500 troops will be out of Georgia by Friday, but many Western governments asked Russia to step up their efforts to remove the troops in accordance with the French-brokered ceasefire agreement signed by both Georgia and Russia.

General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy head of Russia's General Staff, outlined some of the details of what is being called a "temporary security zone" bordering South Ossetia at his daily news conference Wednesday.

He said the "buffer¹ zone" will feature eight military posts, and only Russian planes will be allowed to fly overhead.

Russian troops will also be stationed near Abkhazia, with Georgia's Senaki air base within the zone of their patrol, he said.

He also accused Georgia's political leadership of not being ready to give up its "aggressive intentions."

Nogovitsyn said Georgia is regrouping and breathing new life into its military forces to prepare for a new round of aggression².

Meanwhile, leaders of Russia's Federation³ Council, the upper house of parliament, announced they would hold an emergency session Monday to review a request from Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be recognized as independent states.

Mr. Medvedev has said Russia will look to the breakaway regions to determine their own fate.

Billboards⁴ outside the Ministry⁵ of Foreign Affairs in Moscow showed images of the Russian and South Ossetian flags intertwined, and proclaimed, "Tskhivali, We Are Together" referring to the capital of South Ossetia.

Georgia has refused to give up the territories, launching an attack earlier this month in an attempt to bring South Ossetia under its control, prompting a military response from Russia that Western leaders called "disproportionate."

Finance ministers from the top seven industrialized countries issued a statement Wednesday saying that they are "ready to support" the reconstruction⁶ of Georgia's economy.

 

1 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

2 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。