VOA标准英语2008年-France's Sarkozy to Meet With Syrian President
时间：2019-02-02 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2008年（九月）
French President Nicolas Sarkozy will fly to Damascus for meetings Wednesday with Syrian President Bashar Assad in an effort to restore diplomatic ties that were cut three years ago. The meeting also signals France's push for a greater role in the Middle East. For VOA, Aya Batrawy has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.
President Nicolas Sarkozy (file)
Just three years after France broke ties with Syria, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is making his first official visit to Damascus to meet with his counterpart Bashar al-Assad.
The meeting between the two leaders comes just one week after the Syrian president appointed a new ambassador to France, filling a post that had been vacant for 18 months.
Mr. Sarkozy's visit to Damascus also comes on the heels of the Mediterranean 1 Union meeting, which was attended by the Syrian president in Paris recently. It is new a project aimed at strengthening cooperation between Europe and the Middle East.
But relations between France and Syria have been strained ever since the 2005 assassination 2 of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Syria has denied any involvement in the incident. France's president at the time, Jacques Chirac, was not only a supporter of a U.N. resolution to pressure Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, he was also a close friend of the late Lebanese premier 3.
Mr. Sarkozy, though, has taken steps to move closer to Syria and is now playing a pivotal role in mediating 4 peace between Syria and Lebanon.
According to Middle East expert Mohamed Sayed El Said, Mr. Sarkozy is using France's historical ties with Syria and its neighbor Lebanon to mediate 5 between the two countries and build French influence in the region
"Sarkozy is trying to take maximum advantages of the gaps and inconsistencies and failures of the American diplomacy 6 in the region," he said. "While it's very hard for France to re-establish influence in the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations 7, it's relatively 8 possible, much easier to restore influence through readapting the shaping of the Syrian-Lebanese relations and that is really a very instrumental approach for restoring French influence in the region."
For its part Syria is welcoming French diplomatic reconciliation 9 as a means of empowering its own position in the international community. There is also hope on the Syrian front that building ties with Paris may also lead to Washington's involvement in brokering 10 a peace deal between Syria and Israel.
Analysts 11 in the region believe that America's tougher stance towards Syria has helped push Damascus closer to reliance on Iran, Russia and even France. The United States has labeled Syria a state sponsor of terrorism for its support of the Shiite political bloc 12 Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as its safeguarding of Palestinian Hamas leaders in Damascus, where they are headquartered.
- The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
- Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。
- The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
- Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。
- The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
- He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。
- So many factors are mediating. 如此众多的因素在起作用。
- The contrast in mediating noted in the sitting room. 客厅中注重了调和中的对比。
- The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
- They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。
- 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。
- 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。
- The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
- The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
- He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
- Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。
- Intertwined with these were rivalry, power brokering, and patronage. 然而也不乏有抗争、强权操纵与任命特权交织其中。 来自互联网
- Kingston Quest Can Assist Your Company In Negotiations, Brokering, Agency Services, Sourcing Factories Or Property. 金士顿追求，可帮助您的公司在谈判中，经纪，代理服务，货源工厂或财产。 来自互联网
- City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
- I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。