2006年VOA标准英语-African Leaders Seek Ivory Coast Peace Solution

By Franz Wild
Abidjan
17 October 2006
 
African leaders are trying to find a solution for peace in war-divided Ivory Coast during a private summit meeting in Ethiopia. It is believed they back extending the term of Ivory Coast's president for another year.

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi takes his seat at African Union's Peace and Security Council meeting, Oct. 17, 2006 
  
Top African Union officials told journalists that members of the AU Peace and Security Council support a recent West African plan in which President Laurent Gbagbo is given another one-year extension at the helm of Ivory Coast.

Seven heads of state and government held closed-door meetings to discuss the plan with Mr. Gbagbo and Ivory Coast Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

In order to ensure elections are held in the next year, the AU council is also said to want more executive powers for the prime minister. One such power would be control over the army, but a top Gbagbo official has indicated the president would not allow that.

Rebels and opposition¹ groups in Ivory Coast are likely to judge the meeting's outcome by how strong the prime minister's powers will be.

Deputy Secretary-General Maurice Kakou, of the opposition Ivory Coast Democratic Party recently spoke² with VOA.

He says the U.N. Security Council set up a political transition last year. The plan was to disarm³ the rebels, he says, and to identify potential voters to enable free and fair elections.
 

Laurent Gbagbo  
  
Like all opposition leaders, Kakou believes last year's U.N.-backed peace plan, which extended Mr. Gbagbo's mandate⁴ for a year, failed and a renewal⁵ would not bring new results.

The opposition has been calling for Mr. Gbagbo to leave power and for a prime minister with increased powers to govern a transitional period - a plan also backed by the rebel New Forces.

Mr. Gbagbo refuses to leave power until elections are held, maintaining these can be organized as soon as the rebels disarm.

The New Forces rebels failed to topple Mr. Gbagbo in 2002 and an ensuing civil war left them controlling northern Ivory Coast.

Another issue to be discussed is the mediation⁶ mission of South African President Thabo Mbeki, who the African Union appointed official mediator⁷. He has come under fire by the rebels and opposition, who accuse him of siding with Mr. Gbagbo.

A few days ago top U.N. elections supervisor⁸ Gerard Stoudman indicated elections would be postponed⁹ for another full year.

The proposals will now be handed over to the U.N. Security Council, which will make a final decision on the matter.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

6 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。

7 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

8 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

9 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。