voa标准英语2008-Blair Says Conditions Must Change for Israelis a
时间:2019-01-11 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(十二月)
Tony Blair, 3 Dec 2008
The same day Tony Blair resigned after 10 years as British Prime Minister he was appointed as representative of the Middle East Quartet to help the Palestinians build their institutions and economy.
The Quartet, which consists of the United Nations, European Union, Russia and the United States, has been trying to improve conditions for peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
But Mr. Blair says everyday realities must improve for both sides before any agreement is possible.
"The problem is that until now the reality on the ground for Israelis and Palestinians has not passed what I would call the minimum threshold of credibility for the political negotiation 1 to succeed. Not for the Israelis on security, not for the Palestinians on lifting the occupation," he said.
Mr. Blair, who has been the Quartet's representative for the past 18 months, says there recently have been small improvements in the West Bank.
He says Palestinian security forces have successfully deployed 3 in the West Bank cities of Jenin, Nablus and Hebron. Mr. Blair says the economy is improving and the unemployment rate is falling.
In his speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, the former British prime minister said conditions continue to deteriorate 4 in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the militant 5 group Hamas.
Mr. Blair says there cannot be a Palestinian state until the situation in Gaza is resolved.
"There can only be one Palestinian state. It will combine Gaza and the West Bank. However much we are tempted 6 to set Gaza to one side because of the chaos 7 it causes to Palestinian cohesion 8, it cannot be. But neither is its predicament inevitable 9. It can and it must be reversed," he said.
Mr. Blair says the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank must prove it can maintain security. He says Israel must also stop building Jewish settlements there.
Mr. Blair says ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains 10 key to solving other problems in the region.
"Peace between Israelis and Palestinians would release forces of modernization 11 across the region. It would pin back the forces of reaction and it does not inhabit an entirely 12 separate sphere from issues like Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan or Pakistan or any of the other troubled parts of that region, which crowd in on our consciences and compete for our attention. It is integral to resolving them too," he said.
Mr. Blair says an effort by the Bush administration to boost peace talks during a conference in Annapolis, Maryland last year does provide a platform to build on even though the sides will not reach their goal of an agreement by the end of this year.
- 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。
- 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。
- Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
- The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。
- Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗?
- He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为,这只会使局势更加恶化。
- 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。
- I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
- I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
- After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后,城市一片混乱。
- The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。
- I had to bring some cohesion into the company.我得使整个公司恢复凝聚力。
- The power of culture is deeply rooted in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of a nation. 文化的力量,深深熔铸在民族的生命力、创造力和凝聚力之中。
- Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
- The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。
- 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。
- This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
- The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。