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VOA常速英语2007-Britain Receives Saudi Arabia's King

时间:2007-11-08 03:24:53

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(单词翻译)

By Tom Rivers
London
31 October 2007

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met Wednesday with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street as part of his state visit to Britain. The two discussed a variety of bilateral1 issues. For VOA, Tom Rivers reports from London.

Britain widely views Saudi Arabia as its closest ally in the Middle East. It also acknowledges what it sees as human rights concerns in the Saudi kingdom. And therein lies the crux2 of the controversy3 surrounding the state visit this week of King Abdullah to Britain, the first such trip here since King Fahd visited in 1987.

In their closed-door meeting Wednesday at the prime minister's official London residence, a spokesman for Gordon Brown said the British leader raised issues he believes appropriate, a delicate way of eluding4 to alleged5 human rights breaches6 in Saudi Arabia.

Protesters outside the Saudi embassy in London say they want Prime Minister Brown to publicly air concerns he may have about the issue.

British officials say, not for attribution, that the aging king is slowly bringing forth7 reforms in the world's largest oil producer.

For the record, Mr. Brown and King Abdullah discussed counter-terrorism, the Middle East, Iraq and Iran.

The British leader sees Saudi participation8 in a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference, expected to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, as crucial.

Five years ago, the king came up with what was called the Arab Peace Initiative, a plan that calls on Arab states to make peace with Israel if it withdraws from all Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.

Britain also sees Saudi engagement on the Iranian nuclear issue as key. Prime Minister Brown believes Saudi Arabia should help build support in more countries for sanctions against Iran. The U.S., Britain and their allies believe Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

In addition to the talks with the prime minister, King Abdullah is also meeting Prince Charles and David Cameron, the leader of the main opposition9 Conservative party. The king is also attending two banquets in his honor at Buckingham Palace.

King Abdullah and his entourage depart Britain on Thursday.


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1 bilateral dQGyW     
adj.双方的,两边的,两侧的
参考例句:
  • They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
  • There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题,两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。
2 crux 8ydxw     
adj.十字形;难事,关键,最重要点
参考例句:
  • The crux of the matter is how to comprehensively treat this trend.问题的关键是如何全面地看待这种趋势。
  • The crux of the matter is that attitudes have changed.问题的要害是人们的态度转变了。
3 controversy 6Z9y0     
n.争论,辩论,争吵
参考例句:
  • That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
  • We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。
4 eluding 157b23fced3268b9668f3a73dc5fde30     
v.(尤指机敏地)避开( elude的现在分词 );逃避;躲避;使达不到
参考例句:
  • He saw no way of eluding Featherstone's stupid demand. 费瑟斯通的愚蠢要求使他走投无路。 来自辞典例句
  • The fox succeeded in eluding the hunters. 这狐狸成功地避过了猎手。 来自辞典例句
5 alleged gzaz3i     
a.被指控的,嫌疑的
参考例句:
  • It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
  • alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为
6 breaches f7e9a03d0b1fa3eeb94ac8e8ffbb509a     
破坏( breach的名词复数 ); 破裂; 缺口; 违背
参考例句:
  • He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。
  • This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来,婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。
7 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
8 participation KS9zu     
n.参与,参加,分享
参考例句:
  • Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
  • The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。
9 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

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