Diplomats Meet in Turkey to Discuss Libya's Future

 　　Turkey's foreign minister has urged the United Nations to unfreeze Libyan assets to help the North African country move forward following the uprising against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

　　Ahmet Davutoglu made the call Thursday in Istanbul, where diplomats¹ from around 30 countries are meeting to discuss ways to support Libya's opposition².  The Libya Contact Group includes delegates from the U.N., the European Union, NATO, the African Union and the Libyan rebel government, known as the National Transitional Council.

　　On Wednesday, the United States asked the U.N. Security Council to release $1.5 billion in Libyan assets.  The assets were frozen in February by a U.N. resolution imposing³ tough sanctions on Mr. Gadhafi in response to his use of violence on protesters.

　　The rebel leadership says it needs the funds to pay state salaries and maintain humanitarian⁴ services.

　　South Africa has voiced opposition to the U.S. proposal.  South Africa's U.N. ambassador, Baso Sangqu, said Wednesday that Pretoria does not object to releasing $500 million for humanitarian aid, but added he is concerned about any additional monies being released to the National Transitional Council.

　　He said South Africa has not yet recognized the council as the sole and legal representative of the Libyan people.

　　The African Union and the U.N. Security Council are to discuss Libya later Thursday.

　　A U.S. official said Washington will bring the issue to a U.N. vote on Thursday or Friday so the funds can be released quickly.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 opposition   

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。

3 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。