2006年VOA标准英语-US Lawmakers: Liberia Asks Nigeria for Tay

By Dan Robinson
Washington
17 March 2006
 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf  
  
U.S. lawmakers say visiting Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has told them her government has formally asked Nigeria to turn over former president Charles Taylor so he can face trial on war crimes charges. Lawmakers delivered the news after meeting the Liberian leader on Capitol Hill.

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The news came in a surprise announcement by House lawmakers engaged in a debate on a multi-billion dollar spending bill to fund U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Republican Congressman¹ Ed Royce rose to express concern that President Sirleaf, who addressed Congress on Wednesday, had not yet formally requested Charles Taylor's extradition² from Nigeria. "Taylor must face justice for the killing³ and maiming that he engineered. Bringing him to the Special Court [for Sierra Leone] will end the cycle of impunity⁴ that destabilizes West Africa. And most pressing to today's business, Taylor remains⁵ a threat to the progress that the U.S. has done so much to achieve," he said.

Congressman Jim Kolbe, who chairs the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, then rose to make this announcement, after a meeting he and a House Democrat⁶ had with President Sirleaf: "We asked this question, specifically: Will there be an extradition request? I asked it three times, and got the same answer three times, that it has been done. She used the word done three times. So the request for extradition has been done," he said.

 
Charles Taylor (2003 file photo) 
  
Taylor has been in Nigeria since an internationally-negotiated agreement in 2003 secured his exile from Liberia. He has been accused of 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, set up in 2002 to try those behind killings⁷ during that counry's long civil conflict.

Recent news reports have raised questions about whether President Sirleaf had made a formal request to Nigeria's President Obasanjo.

Congressman Kolbe elaborated on what he said he was told by the Liberian leader:

"She went on to tell us that President (Olusegun) Obasanjo is now consulting with African leaders from the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to consult with them to make sure that the extradition will not in any way destabilize the very fragile peace that exists there," he said.

In her address to Congress Wednesday, President Sirleaf had thanked Nigeria for accepting Charles Taylor, but mentioned nothing about any formal extradition request.

However, she said Liberia, in her words, had little option but to see that justice is done.

The House of Representatives approved $50 million in economic support funds for Liberia, under an amendment⁸ first approved last week by the House Appropriations⁹ Committee, submitted by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.

In his surprise announcement Thursday, Congressman Kolbe said lawmakers will continue to watch the situation closely.

1 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

2 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

3 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。

4 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

9 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件