布什声称分歧不会影响大西洋两岸的友好关系

14 布什声称分歧不会影响大西洋两岸的友好关系

Bush: Disagreements Will Not Harm Transatlantic Friendship
Deborah Tate
Madrid
12 Jun 2001 22:45 UTC

President Bush says there are more issues on which the United States and Europe agree than disagree. Mr. Bush, concluding his first full day in Europe, says he does not believe disputes over missile defense 1, the environment and the death 1)penalty will "prevent transatlantic friendship from enduring and growing." Mr. Bush made his comments at a joint 2 news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in Madrid.
Mr. Bush defended his position to back away from the nearly 30-year-old Anti-2)Ballistic Missile Treaty in order to build his antimissile defense system, even though European allies and Russia see the pact 3 as a 3)cornerstone of arms control. "We are bound by a treaty signed in 1972 that prohibits the United States from investigating all possibilities as to how to 4)intercept 4 missiles," he said. "For example, the technology of intercept on launch is a technology that we must more fully 5 explore in order to make sure that we have the defensive 6 capabilities 7 necessary to prevent what I call 5)blackmail."
The president wants the missile 6)shield to protect the United States against potential attack from so-called rogue 8 nations like Iran and North Korea. But Europeans remains 9 skeptical 10 about such a threat, and about whether Mr. Bush's proposed missile defense system is technologically 11 7)feasible.
After discussing the issue with Mr. Bush, Prime Minister Aznar, whom U.S. officials call one of the more open-minded European officials on missile defense, expressed support for the American leader's position. "It has not been demonstrated anywhere, nor has anyone been able to show that that defense initiative is something that cannot lead to greater and better security," he said. "For that reason, it is very important for President Bush to have decided 12 to share that initiative with his allies, to discuss it with them, to establish a 8)framework for cooperation with his 9)allies with regard to this initiative."
The two leaders also discussed environmental issues.
Many in Europe were angered over Mr. Bush's decision to abandon the 1997 Kyoto treaty to limit greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The president 10)reiterated his opposition 13 to the pact, saying it exempts 14 developing nations and would hurt the U.S. economy. He noted 15 he has offered his own alternative proposals to the Kyoto accord that he believes would not harm the economy.
Mr. Aznar again sounded a 11)conciliatory note saying European leaders should consider the president's proposals. But one issue where the two leaders did not see eye to eye was the death penalty.
European allies, including Spain, are opposed to capital punishment. 12)Abolition of the death penalty is a requirement for membership in the European Union.
The issue, which has received 13)prominent European news coverage 16 in the days leading up to the execution of convicted Oklahoma City bomber 17 Timothy McVeigh Monday, is an especially sensitive one in Spain. Last week, a Florida 14)jury acquitted 18 Spaniard Joaquin Jose Martinez after he spent three years on death row.
Mr. Bush defended U.S. policy. "The death penalty is the will of the people in the United States," he said. "There are some people who do not agree with the death penalty in our country. It is not an easy subject for any of us. But the majority of the people, and our laws reflect the majority of the people, believe that if the death penalty is certain, just and fair, it will 15)deter crime."
On a more positive note, Mr. Bush praised Spain as one of America's most reliable allies and said the country has made one of Europe's most remarkable 19 16)transitions to democracy and 17)prosperity.
He also offered 18)unspecified assistance to Spain in its fight against terrorism - a reference to the Basque 19)separatist group ETA, which has been blamed for killing 20 hundreds of people in its fight for an independent state 20)carved out of northern Spain and southwestern France.
Mr. Bush leaves for Belgium Wednesday to attend a 21)NATO summit in Brussels. His week-long trip will also take him to Sweden for a European Union summit, Poland, and Slovenia, where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(1) penalty[5penEltI]n.处罚, 罚款
(2) ballistic missile n.弹道飞弹
(3) cornerstone[5kC:nEstEJn]n.墙角石, 基础
(4) intercept[IntE5sept]vt.中途阻止, 截取
(5) blackmail[5blAkmeIl]n.勒索, 勒索所得之款vt.勒索
(6) shield[Fi:ld]n.防护物, 护罩vt.(from) 保护, 防护v.遮蔽
(7) feasible[5fi:zIb(E)l]adj.可行的, 切实可行的
(8) framework[5freImw:k]n.构架, 框架, 结构
(9) allies[`AlaIz]n.联盟国, 同盟者
(10) reiterate[ri:5ItEreIt]vt.反复地说, 重申, 重做
(11) conciliatory[kEn`sIlIEtErI]adj.抚慰的, 调和的
(12) abolition[AbE5lIF(E)n]n.废除, 废除奴隶制度
(13) prominent[5prRmInEnt]adj.卓越的, 显著的, 突出的
(14) jury[5dVJErI]n.[律] 陪审团, 评判委员会, 陪审员
(15) deter[dI5t:(r)]v.阻止
(16) transition[trAn5sIF(E)n, trB:-]n.转变, 过渡, 变调
(17) prosperity[prR5spErEtI]n.繁荣
(18) unspecified[Qn5spesIfaId]adj.未指明的,未详细说明的
(19) separatist[5sepErEtIst]n.分离主义者, 独立派
(20) carve[kB:v]v.雕刻, 切开
(21) NATO[ `neItEJ ]abbr.North Atlantic Treaty Organization 北大西洋公约组织