2006年VOA标准英语-African Union Prepares for Eventual Hand O

By Catherine Maddux
Washington
18 January 2006

African leaders gather next week for an African Union summit amid a major setback¹ in the fledgling organization's peacekeeping mission in Sudan's western Darfur region. The United Nations is under pressure to take over the Darfur mission as the AU faces a critical lack of resources.

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Representative of the AU Mission, AMIS, to the Sudan, ambassador Baba Gana Kingabi, left, walks with Akunko, right, the commander of AU mission troops based in Darfur, Nov. 18, 2005   
  

With less than 7,000 troops and observers scattered² across Darfur, Sudan, an area about the size of France, the African Union has struggled to keep the peace.

"They are there because the western world in the security council asked them to go there. And we let them do the job with bound hands.... if you do not give them the resources," said Jan Pronk, the United Nation's Special Envoy³ to Sudan. "The African countries do not have the equipment that is necessary to intervene and to control such a battle... so if you ask the African soldiers to do the dirty work, give them the tools."

And, Pronk says, the international community has not done that, failing to provide key resources to stop the killing⁴, banditry, and cease fire violations⁵ that continue in Darfur.

"We failed," he said. "What we have done so far is picking up the pieces and muddling⁶ through. So we came too late and we did too little."

Despite a period of relative calm late last year, the AU force has increasingly been overwhelmed by what analysts⁷ and reporters who have traveled there say has become a much more complex war zone, one in which the U.N. estimates has killed 180,000 people over the last three years and displaced two million others.

"But since the last quarter of the year, we are witnessing a marked deterioration⁸, with both parties, both rebels and the government, involved in outright⁹ breaches¹⁰ of the ceasefire agreement, including attacks against the African Union itself and attacks against internally displaced persons," said Suliman Baldo, the Director for the Africa Program at the International Crisis Group.

So Pronk has asked the U.N. Security Council to back a strong U.N. peacekeeping force. He envisions it as a mission that would stabilize¹¹ the region, secure a lasting¹² truce¹³ and pave the way for productive peace talks taking place in Nigeria, which have so far failed. And, he says, the African Union has agreed to the idea. 

 
AU President Alpha Oumar Konare, left, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, right, in Brussels
  
"The U.N. security council has not yet taken that decision and we need that. Otherwise we cannot do anything. Imagine there will be such a decision," added Pronk. "Then the AU will have to stay for awhile to help the U.N. to prepare its coming. It has to be a big force, at least twice as big as the African Union now. It has to be strong with weapons with which they can defend themselves.

"They are being attacked. And with which they can disarm¹⁴ the militia," he continued. "I think you need a force that can stay long because all these more than two million people will have to return home and they are not returning home if it is not safe. They don't think it's safe if they are being so-called protected by their own army because their army did attack them in the past. So they need an international force for a number of years."

But Jean-Christophe Belliard, a top advisor¹⁵ for the European Union, disagrees with Pronk's assessment¹⁶ of the AU's performance in Darfur. Belliard says given the difficulty of the situation and the newness of the African Union, officially inaugurated just over three years ago, it has done as well as can be expected.

Belliard also casts doubt on the idea that the international community is ready to take on the Darfur operation.

"They are doing it because we don't want to do it. We, western countries, we are not ready to send troops there despite the fact that what is going on there is very serious," he said. "But all this taken into account they are doing well, they are doing their best. The situation has stabilized¹⁷. It has allowed peace negotiations¹⁸ to go on."

The AU summit set for January 23 and 24 in Khartoum is expected to be dominated by this issue, as well as another, very sensitive one: whether or not Sudan, as host, can legitimately¹⁹ takeover the chairmanship of the organization as is customary.

"In its own right, this is an issue. If Khartoum chairs the African Union, this would lead to a total loss of credibility of the AU in the sense that the African Union is involved in political mediation²⁰ to resolve the conflict in Darfur.... and Khartoum cannot be chairing the African Union because it will be a party to that conflict and also a judge of it," said Suliman Baldo.

But U.N. envoy Pronk says he believes that issue has already been discussed privately²¹ among African leaders.

"I have indications that there are quite a number of African countries hesitant and that that message has been understood in Khartoum," he said. "I think people want a face saving device now. And I think they will find a solution."

Whatever decision is made, the 53 members of the African Union will address that issue and the future of the Darfur mission when they gather next week in Sudan. They will also undoubtedly²² be faced with a number of other pressing concerns, including rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as the crumbling²³ peace process in Ivory Coast.

1 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

2 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

3 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 muddling   

v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的现在分词 )；使糊涂；对付，混日子

参考例句：

• Don't do that—you're muddling my papers. 别动—你会弄乱我的文件的。
• In our company you see nobody muddling along. 在咱们公司，看不到混日子的人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

9 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

10 breaches   

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。

11 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

12 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

13 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

14 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

15 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

16 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

17 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

18 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

19 legitimately   

ad.合法地；正当地，合理地

参考例句：

• The radio is legitimately owned by the company. 该电台为这家公司所合法拥有。
• She looked for nothing save what might come legitimately and without the appearance of special favour. 她要的并不是男人们的额外恩赐，而是合法正当地得到的工作。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

20 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

21 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

22 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

23 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。