2006年VOA标准英语-Darfur Talks Deadlocked Despite New Deadli

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
03 May 2006
 
Senior Western and African diplomats¹ have intensified² their mediation³ at the deadlocked⁵ Darfur talks in Abuja.

Darfur's two main rebel groups, the SLM and JEM, have come under more pressure in the past 24 hours to endorse⁶ a peace deal in Abuja. The Sudan government had accepted the 85-page document but the rebels are holding out for more concessions⁷.
 

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, left, Jendayi Frazer, U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, second left, and head of Sudan's governmental delegation⁸ Majzoub al-Khalifa, front right, attend peace talks  
  
Senior diplomats from the United States, Canada, Britain, and Libya are on hand to press the Sudanese government and rebels to a compromise.

Even as mediators seek an end to the conflict, U.N. officials have reported an upsurge of fighting in Darfur, where a three-year conflict has led to the death of about 200,000 people and the displacement¹⁰ of millions.

A senior official of the rebel SLM, Niemat Ahmadai, told VOA that it is important for an agreement to be reached in Abuja for the sake of the women and children in Darfur.

"Really, women and child [children] have suffered from this Darfur crisis and so that is what we are here for," he explained, "trying to do our best to make peace and the deadlock⁴ of the peace talks here, I think that ... hope we will do all our best not to leave a single opportunity to make peace because of the suffering of our people."

Mediators say deep-seated animosity and mistrust are undermining the peace process. Ahmadai says the people of Darfur have little reason to trust the government in Khartoum.

"The movements, they do not trust the government of Sudan," he said. "Really, we cannot trust this government of Sudan because a government that kills its own people and commits genocide against its people, that you cannot trust him [it] anymore."

The international community had consistently assured the Darfur rebels that it will guarantee the strict implementation¹¹ of an agreement reached in Abuja. Ahmadai wants written guarantees.

"The guarantee that we are looking for is supposed to be written guarantee and witnessed by the international community ... to be written," he stressed. "Not to say verbally that we are going to grant peace. It is supposed to be written in the agreement. The agreement is supposed to include guarantees from the local, regional, and international parties."

Negotiators from the Sudan government and the two Darfur rebel groups face a Thursday deadline to reach a deal after African Union mediators gave the rebels a further two-day extension.

Mediators remain hopeful that a compromise could still be reached. A top African Union mediator⁹ told VOA, "there is no break-through yet, but the struggle continues," just before he disappeared into a room for another closed-door session.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

5 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

6 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

7 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

8 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

9 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。

10 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

11 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。