2006年VOA标准英语-Darfur Rebels Adamant as Another Deadline

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
04 May 2006

Western and African diplomats¹ are racing² against time to strike a deal that will end what has been described as the worst humanitarian³ crisis in Sudan's Darfur. The prospect⁴ of an agreement appears slim.

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With a Thursday night deadline fast approaching, Darfur rebels insist they will not sign the proposed agreement.

Sudanese tribal⁵ leaders attend the Darfur talks at the venue⁶ of the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria,Tuesday, May 2, 2006   
  

Senior diplomats from the United States, Canada, Britain, Libya and African Union officials have held several meetings with representatives of the Sudan government and the two main rebel factions⁷.

Chief Mediator⁸ Ahmed Tugod for the Justice and Equality Movement, one of the two rebel groups, says despite the intense consultations⁹ in the past few days nothing substantial has changed.

"If they refuse to reopen negotiations¹⁰, I think unfortunately that will be the end of this round of the talks," he said. "Because the movements will not accept that document by all means and that means there is no way to move and no way to sign that document. So it is better to move and to go back home without wasting time and resources."

The United States, in particular, has been very visible at this critical stage of the process. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick is leading the American delegation¹¹ which has been trying very hard to nail down an elusive¹² agreement.

"Clearly, you have a situation where the African Union played a mediatory¹³ role. They produced a text that was a good text and a basis for discussion," said Richard Mills, a spokesman for the American delegation. "The government agreed to that and the movements did not. So we are clearly in a situation where we are trying to work and think about ways to bridge the differences, bring people together. And that is going to involve compromises and that is what we are working on. We need to remain focused that the real goal of this is to achieve a peace agreement that benefits the people of Darfur."

The rebels have a history of infighting, making it difficult for them to agree on any major decision.

The talks, in their seventh round, have dragged for two years while violence in Darfur has worsened.

There are fears that the violence could grow into a full-blown regional conflict if a deal is not reached in Abuja.

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 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

7 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

8 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。

9 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 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。

11 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。

12 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

13 mediatory   

斡旋的，调解的

参考例句：

• The constitution of mediatory acceptance of bribe has always been a problem at issue. 斡旋受贿的构成一直是有争议的问题。