2006年VOA标准英语-US Calls for Urgent UN Security Council Ac

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
09 May 2006

 
Condoleezza Rice   
  
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged the U.N. Security Council to act quickly to stop the genocide and humanitarian¹ crisis in Darfur. Rice described conditions in Darfur as a "long nightmare."

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Secretary Rice called on the international community Tuesday to seize the opportunity created by the Darfur peace agreement signed in Abuja, Nigeria last week.

Addressing a special ministerial session of the U.N. Security Council, she said 2.5 million displaced Darfurians living in camps in Sudan and Chad pose a grave humanitarian challenge. She reminded the Council that tens of thousands of others have died at the hands of pro-government Arab militias³ known as Janjaweed.

"The United States has characterized this wanton campaign of violence as genocide. And yesterday, President Bush reaffirmed that judgment⁴. With the signing of the Darfur peace agreement, we now have a real opportunity to help end the long nightmare that has befallen the people of Darfur," she said.

Secretary Rice noted⁵ that the United States remains⁶ the largest single donor⁷ to humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in Darfur. She called the crisis a test of the international community's will to provide desperately⁸ needed support for people victimized by three years of war. "The plight⁹ of the people of Darfur stirs the conscience of all human beings. But conscience alone will not feed starving people and save innocent lives, and bring peace to troubled lands. This is not a challenge for Africa alone, or for America alone. It is a challenge for the entire community of nations, and it is one that should not be taken lightly," she said.

Also addressing the meeting, Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged parties to the Darfur conflict that have not signed the Abuja accords to do so. He appealed to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to drop his opposition¹⁰ to allowing visits by U.N. military planners preparing for eventual¹¹ U.N. control of the existing African Union peacekeeping force.

"The U.N. and the AU will undertake a first-hand assessment¹² of the situation on the ground, and will consult with Sudan's government of national unity², and with other parties, on what is required to implement¹³ the peace agreement. Accordingly, I have written to President Bashir to seek support for the assessment. His support for this vital mission is essential," she said.

Diplomats¹⁴ began work Tuesday on the U.S. draft resolution, which would extend U.N. control over the African Union force in Darfur. The eventual goal is to establish a 20,000 strong U.N. peacekeeping mission with enhanced ability to patrol the territory, which is about the size of France.

In the meantime, however, efforts will be made to fortify¹⁵ the beleaguered¹⁶ AU force and speed humanitarian assistance to victims.

1 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。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 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

4 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 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。

7 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

8 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

9 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

10 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。

11 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

12 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

13 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

14 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》

15 fortify   

v.强化防御，为…设防；加强，强化

参考例句：

• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
• This treaty forbade the United States to fortify the canal.此条约禁止美国对运河设防。

16 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》