118 卢旺达和乌干达致力于改善两国关系

118 卢旺达和乌干达致力于改善两国关系

Rwanda, Uganda Pledge to Improve Relations
Katy Salmon
Nairobi
6 Jul 2001 17:47 UTC

The leaders of Rwanda and Uganda are 1)pledging to improve relations between their nations. The two countries once were strong allies, but tensions between them have increased since war broke out in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. The recent 2)defection of 50 Ugandan troops to Rwanda has added to tensions between the two governments.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni met in the Rwandan border town of Gatuna.
In a statement after the meeting, the two leaders pledged to 3)harmonize their positions on matters of 4)mutual interest to 5)consolidate peace and stability in the region.
Relations between the two one-time allies have 6)deteriorated sharply since 1998, when forces from Rwanda and Uganda invaded Congo. At the time, the two armies were fighting in support of Congolese rebels trying to overthrow¹ President Laurent Kabila. But 7)clashes eventually 8)erupted between the two nations over control of Kisangani, a key city in north-central Congo that is the center of the local diamond trade.
Rwandan and Ugandan troops have clashed three times over Kisangani. At least 1,000 Congolese civilians² were killed after their last major battle in June of last year.
In recent months, each country has accused the other of giving 9)shelter and support to their own rebellious³ elements. In March, Uganda put Rwanda on an official list of states hostile to it.
Last week, about 50 Ugandan military officers defected to Rwanda, and one of those who defected, a senior army officer, Lt. Col. Anthony Kyakabale, vowed⁴ to 10)wage war against the Ugandan government.
However, the Rwandan government has made it clear that the Ugandan 11)defectors will not be allowed to use their country to launch political activities against Uganda.
Presidents Museveni and Kagame have met three times in unsuccessful efforts to 12)patch up their differences.
Friday's meeting took place following Western pressure to 13)eliminate a source of instability in a region that is 14)plagued by rebellions and civil war.
The two men, like their countries, were once close. While in exile in Uganda, Mr. Kagame served as Mr. Museveni's chief of military intelligence. Mr. Museveni, in turn, backed Mr. Kagame's 1994 invasion of Rwanda, when his Rwandan Patriotic⁵ Front seized power from the Hutu government which was responsible for Rwanda's massacre⁶ in 1994.

(1) pledge[pledV]n.保证, 誓言vt.保证, 使发誓, 抵押
(2) defection[dI5fekF(E)n]n.缺点, 背信, 背叛, 变节
(3) harmonize[5hB:mEnaIz]v.协调
(4) mutual[5mju:tjJEl]adj.相互的, 共有的
(5) consolidate[kEn5sRlIdeIt]v.巩固
(6) deteriorate[dI5tIErIEreIt]v.(使)恶化
(7) clash[klAF]n.冲突, 撞击声, 抵触v.猛撞, 冲突
(8) erupt[I5rQpt]vt.喷出vi.爆发
(9) shelter[5FeltE(r)]n.掩蔽处, 身避处,庇护所v.掩蔽, 躲避
(10) wage[weIdV]v.发动
(11) defector[ dI`fektE(r) ]n.背叛者, 叛离者
(12) patch up v.修补, 平息, 拼凑
(13) eliminate[I5lImIneIt]vt.排除, 消除v.除去
(14) plague[pleI^]n.麻烦, 苦恼vt.折磨, 使苦恼

 

1 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

4 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

5 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

6 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！