UN Security Council Votes to Bolster South Sudan

 　　The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a new peacekeeping force for South Sudan, which marks its independence on Saturday.

　　During a brief meeting, representatives of all 15 members of the Security Council raised their hands in favor of a resolution establishing the new peacekeeping force for the world’s newest nation, South Sudan. Council president Peter Wittig of Germany announced the results.

　　“The result of the voting is as follows: the draft resolution received 15 votes in favor. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as Resolution 1996,” he said.

　　The new peacekeeping force, called the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan or UNMISS, will have up to 7,000 troops and up to 900 civilian¹ police. Its mandate² is to consolidate³ peace and security and to help establish the conditions for development in the Republic of South Sudan. The council approved the peacekeeping force for one year, but called for reviews in three months and six months to see if the troop level can be reduced from 7,000 to 6,000.

　　The Security Council resolution calls on the peacekeepers to monitor, investigate, verify and report regularly on human rights and potential threats against the civilian population. It also urges the peacekeepers to support the South Sudan government by deterring⁴ violence.

　　Security Council president Wittig called the approval of the peacekeeping force a strong signal of support for the new South Sudan.

　　“The council settled on a sizeable force and believes that this will help the necessities and the challenges of this new state of South Sudan," he said.

　　South Sudan’s independence follows a 21-year civil war in Sudan that ended in 2005. Early this year, voters in southern Sudan overwhelmingly approved separating from northern Sudan.

　　There are continuing sources of conflict, including fighting in the Sudanese-controlled area of South Kordofan and a flashpoint in the border area of Abyei. Troops from Sudan raided the area several weeks ago, forcing out thousands of southerners.

　　However, last month, Sudan and South Sudan reached agreement on the status of the disputed border region and called for its demilitarization. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, during a visit to Khartoum, Sudan, said that as the U.N. prepares to deploy⁵ Ethiopian troops to Abyei, the parties must make the political compromises necessary to finally resolve this question.

　　Mr. Ban will be in Juba, South Sudan, for the independence ceremony. He told reporters in Khartoum that he had urged the Sudanese government “one last time” to extend the mandate of the U.N. Mission in Sudan, which expires Saturday. The Sudanese government wants the troops out. The secretary-general wants them to stay, at least, he said, until the situation calms down.

　　Council president Wittig has said he expects quick approval of United Nations membership for South Sudan, once it formally becomes independent. A vote in favor by the U.N. General Assembly would make South Sudan the 193rd member of the United Nations.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

3 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

4 deterring   

v.阻止，制止( deter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• However, investors say are a number of issues deterring business. 然而，投资者表示，有很多问题让他们却步。 来自互联网
• It's an effective way of deterring potential does online, the logic goes. 逻辑上这是抑制潜在线上威胁的有效方法。 来自互联网

5 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。