2006年VOA标准英语-Ethiopia Says Preparations Complete for Possibl

By Cathy Majtenyi
23 November 2006

In a motion put forth¹ to parliament Thursday, Ethiopia's prime minister indicated that his country could use force to defend Ethiopia against Somali Islamists if negotiations² with them are unsuccessful. Officials of the Islamic Courts Union had earlier declared a jihad, or Holy War, against Ethiopia over the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

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Meles Zenawi (file photo)

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told the lawmakers that the Islamists who declared Holy War against Ethiopia are a "clear and present danger" to Ethiopia, and that Ethiopians need to be defended against such a threat.

Minister of Information Berhane Hailu insists that Meles' comments were not a declaration of war.

"I'm hearing that the prime minister's message is going to be misinterpreted, that the country of Ethiopia has declared war against Somalia," said Hailu. "That is completely wrong. What the prime minister said is that we are trying to solve the problem peacefully. If this option is not successful, the parliament should allow the government to use its legal right to defend the country."

But officials of the Islamic Courts Union, who reportedly met in the capital Mogadishu to discuss the issue shortly after the motion was put forward, say otherwise.

The French news agency, AFP, quoted an Islamic Courts Union spokesman as saying Meles' motion is a threat to regional peace and that Ethiopia was showing what he called "reckless, war-thirsty behavior."

The spokesman was quoted by the French news agency as saying "we are not a threat to Ethiopia, but the presence of its troops in our homeland is a serious security risk to Somalia as well as Ethiopia."

Lawmakers in Ethiopia's parliament ended up rejecting Meles' motion.

Beyene Petros, the head of the opposition⁴ United Ethiopian Democratic Forces, explains why.

"It's an overreaction, and I do not think the government, and for that matter the Ethiopian military or the armed forces, need any clearance⁵ to stop whatever intrusion at the border," Petros said.

Beyene says there is no need for the prime minister to give the military advanced permission to ward³ off an attack by the Islamists, as it is the military's job to defend the country against external attack.

Such a motion is dangerous, says Beyene, because it can be interpreted as a declaration of war against the Somali Islamists and it can inflame⁶ already heated tensions in the region.

The Islamic Courts Union vehemently⁷ opposes the presence of foreign peacekeepers in Somalia, especially those from neighboring Ethiopia.

After much denial of the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, the Ethiopian government recently admitted the existence of a small number of troops, but only acting⁸ in a training capacity.

Eyewitnesses⁹ and other maintain that Ethiopian soldiers are fighting alongside their Somali counterparts.

The Islamic Courts Union first started its expansion back in June, when it took control of the capital Mogadishu. It has since captured much of southern Somalia.

Ever since civil war broke out in 1991, militias¹⁰ loyal to clan¹¹ and sub-clan-based factions¹² have controlled different parts of the country, with no central authority to provide law and order and even basic services to the population.

A transitional Somali parliament was formed in Kenya more than a year ago following a peace process.

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 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。

3 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 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。

5 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

6 inflame   

v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎

参考例句：

• Our lack of response seemed to inflame the colonel.由于我们没有反应,好象惹恼了那个上校。
• Chemical agents manufactured by our immune system inflame our cells and tissues,causing our nose to run and our throat to swell.我们的免疫系统产生的化学物质导致我们的细胞和组织发炎，导致我们流鼻水和我们的喉咙膨胀。

7 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

10 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

11 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

12 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别