2006年VOA标准英语-Son of Slain Lebanese Leader Seeks US Help

By Margaret Besheer
Washington
26 January 2006
 
Besheer report - Download 496k
Listen to Besheer report 

Saad Hariri, the son and political heir of Rafik Hariri, the slain¹ former Lebanese prime minister, is in Washington this week to meet with President Bush and other senior U.S. officials. He says he will ask for U.S. assistance in securing Lebanon's borders and improving its internal security. The visit comes at a time of crisis in the Lebanese government, and as tensions with Syria escalate² over the United Nations' investigation³ into Rafik Hariri's killing⁴.

-----------------------------------------------

Saad Hariri   
  

The departure of Syrian troops from Lebanon last April after a nearly 30-year presence has not brought the peace and stability the Lebanese had hoped for.  Instead, there have been several more assassinations⁶ and attempted assassinations of Syria's opponents in Lebanon, as well as a string of smaller bombings that have raised anxiety among the population. Saad Hariri is now himself a potential target, and has been living outside Lebanon for most of the past year.

Lebanon's latest crisis is political. Five Shi'ite Muslim Cabinet ministers belonging to the pro-Syrian Amal and Hezbollah movements walked out of the government in mid-December. They are protesting the majority's call for the creation of an international tribunal to try those responsible for Hariri's murder. They say they will not return to the government until it is agreed that such decisions be made through consensus⁷, not the majority. They have also added as a condition of their return that the government officially declare Hezbollah a resistance movement, not a militia⁸, which could ease international pressure on the group to disarm⁹ under U.N. Resolution 1559.

It is against this backdrop that the 35-year-old Hariri, who heads the majority bloc¹⁰ in parliament, arrived in Washington. Speaking to an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Institute, he expressed optimism that the current political crisis would soon be resolved through a national dialogue.

"I believe that time will resolve it, that discussion and national dialogue on these issues - even if they take time - a conflict is far more worse than pushing things forward," he said. "So if we need time we will take our time."

Speaking about the United Nations investigation into his father's assassination⁵, Hariri said he would accept any results the commission comes out with. He also urged Syria to fully¹¹ cooperate with the investigation, formerly¹² led by German prosecutor¹³ Detlev Mehlis, but now headed by Serge Brammertz of Belgium.

"What we need from the Syrians and the Syrian government is the full cooperation on the Mehlis-Brammertz commission," he said. "The quicker they cooperate, the quicker the problem will end and the quicker we will know who killed Rafik Hariri, and the quicker the problem will be resolved in the region."

Imad Moustapha 
  
  
Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, who also spoke¹⁴ this week in Washington, says Damascus is cooperating with the U.N. investigation.

"We do understand that the stakes are very high," he said. "On the one hand, we will continue to cooperate with this investigation because it is in our national interest to reveal the actual truth about who killed Hariri. On the other hand, we also understand there are important forces and influential¹⁵ parties who will try to do everything possible to cause Syria as much damage as possible."

He said the Lebanese should not rush to condemn¹⁶ Syria.

"What we are trying to say is show some respect and dignity and some fairness and logic," he said. "There will be an investigation, wait and let's see the results of these investigations¹⁷ before you start pointing fingers and accuse parties here and there."

When Saad Hariri meets President Bush Friday at the White House, he says he will ask for U.S. help to secure Lebanon's borders and improve its internal security.

"We have good leadership in the army; we have good leadership in the internal security forces," he said. "But we need to build them up. We need to give them what they need. We need these guys to work day and night, and they are doing it, but we need to give them the tools to work day and night."

Despite the continuing danger in Lebanon for Hariri, he says he hopes to return home soon. He said in the year since his father's assassination, Lebanon has passed through difficult times, but he expressed optimism that it would emerge a free and stable nation.

1 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

2 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

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 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

6 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

7 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

8 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

9 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。

10 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

13 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

16 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

17 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。