2007年VOA标准英语-UN Envoy to Sudan Appeals for Cessation of Viol

By Noel King
Khartoum
11 January 2007

The interim¹ U.N. envoy² to Sudan is appealing for a cessation of hostilities³ in the Darfur region, saying only a political solution can resolve the crisis, which has claimed hundreds-of-thousands of lives. Noel King has this report for VOA from Khartoum.

 

Jan Eliasson talks to reporters after meeting with Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, in Khartoum, 11 Jan 2007

Following his meetings with top Sudanese officials this week, U.N. envoy Jan Eliasson called on all parties to the Darfur conflict to cease hostilities as a prelude⁴ to political efforts to reach a lasting⁵ peace between government forces and rebels.

 

"There has to be a peace to keep. For this, we need to try our very best from all corners to encourage a political process," he said. "If we don't reach that goal, then we run the risk of the Darfur tragedy, the Darfur nightmare continuing year after year. There is no military solution for either side."

 

On Wednesday, the governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson reported that the government of Sudan and rebel leaders in Darfur had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.

 

But Eliasson said he is not certain about the viability⁶ of the ceasefire agreement.

 

"I don't know to what degree the non-signatories in Darfur are fully⁷ committed to this," continued Eliasson. "It is not completely clear. I can only say that the United Nations would welcome any effort to reduce the level of violence."

 

Last year, the Sudanese government and one of the rebel groups in Darfur signed a peace agreement, but two other rebel groups refused to sign.

Darfur's rebel movements have become increasingly fractured in recent months, further complicating⁸ efforts to stem violence in the region.

 

Sudan is under intense pressure to accept a 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur. But Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir has likened the world body to colonizers and asked for more financial and logistical support to aid a struggling African Union mission of 7,000 troops.

 

The Darfur conflict will soon enter its fourth year.

 

Sudan is charged with arming Arab militias⁹ in the region to crush a 2003 rebellion using a savage¹⁰ campaign of rape¹¹ and murder, targeting civilians¹².

 

At least 200,000 people are believed to have died during the conflict, and more than 2.5 million have been displaced.

1 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

4 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 viability   

n.存活(能力)

参考例句：

• What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
• Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

9 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

10 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

11 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。