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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Donald Trump1 became the first serving American president to meet with a North Korean leader in June 2018.
Trump’s talks with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore led to an agreement in which the two nations promised to keep working on several issues aimed at improving relations.
Trump and Kim held another face-to-face meeting last month in Vietnam. That meeting produced no major agreements. At both meetings, the leaders reportedly considered a proposal2 to open a liaison3 office in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang.
Such offices are one step below an embassy4. They are often set up between nations that do not have official diplomatic6 relations. They offer a way for two nations that have tense relations to continue some kind of working contact. The U.S. has operated “interest sections” in places like Cuba and Iran.
South Korea set up a liaison office in the North Korean city of Kaesong last year after several months of increased discussions7 and contacts with the North.
If the U.S. and North Korea decide to open a liaison office, Sweden says it will make a room available for that purpose. The room sits next to the Swedish ambassador’s office in Pyongyang’s diplomatic area.
The room has remained mostly unused for more than 20 years. But it was once used as an office to handle U.S.-North Korean matters. The office was set up after an agreement signed in 1995 that gave Sweden permission to serve as America’s “protective power” in North Korea.
At the time, there were a lot of talks going on between U.S. and North Korean officials. The office was meant to serve as a base for necessary contacts because the U.S. had no diplomatic relations with the North.
Entering the room today, reports say there is evidence of the changing relationship of the two sides over the years. Two versions8 of the Pyongyang Times newspaper are on display. One reports on warming relations under North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong Il and U.S. President Bill Clinton during the 1990s. A more recent issue of the newspaper shows a photo of Trump and Kim Jong Un on its front page.
Trump and Kim were asked by reporters about the possibility of opening a liaison office during their meeting last month in Hanoi, Vietnam. “It’s actually not a bad idea,” Trump said. Kim answered through an interpreter, saying “I think that is something that could be welcomed.”
Sweden permitted a reporter from the Associated Press to see the room set aside for possible U.S. use. The reporter, however, was not permitted to take pictures for security9 reasons. One diplomat5 told the AP the office could be used as an interest section for the U.S. This would be one step below a liaison office.
The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, along with the British Embassy, sits on the property of the German Embassy. Diplomats10 said, if the U.S. does decide to set up a liaison office, Sweden would no longer be responsible for U.S. interests in North Korea under the current agreement.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Words in This Story
liaison – n. relationship that allows different organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other
section – n. a part something is divided into
display – n. something shown for people to look at
interpreter – n. someone whose job is to change what someone else in saying into another language
property – n. a building or piece of land
1 trump | |
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭 | |
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2 proposal | |
n.提议,建议;求婚 | |
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3 liaison | |
n.联系,(未婚男女间的)暖昧关系,私通 | |
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4 embassy | |
n.大使馆,大使及其随员 | |
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5 diplomat | |
n.外交官,外交家;能交际的人,圆滑的人 | |
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6 diplomatic | |
adj.外交的,从事外交的,策略的,有手腕的 | |
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7 discussions | |
n.讨论( discussion的名词复数 );商讨;详述;论述 | |
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8 versions | |
n.译本( version的名词复数 );版本;(个人对事件的)描述;(原物的)变体 | |
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9 security | |
n.安全,安全感;防护措施;保证(金),抵押(品);债券,证券 | |
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10 diplomats | |
n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 );有手腕的人,善于交际的人 | |
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