2007年VOA标准英语-UN Envoy Meets with Somalia's Interim Leader

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
18 January 2007

The United Nations' special envoy¹ to Somalia has met the country's interim² president for the first time in the Somali capital Mogadishu. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi reports the envoy is urging government leaders to reconcile with opponents and form an all-inclusive, broad-based administration.

Francois Lonseny Fall (l) has discussions with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf in Mogadishu, 18 Jan 2007

The U.N. Secretary General's special representative to Somalia, Francois Fall, held a brief closed-door meeting with interim President Abdullahi Yusuf in Villa³ Somalia, the official presidential residence in Mogadishu.

The U.N. envoy did not give details of their half-hour conversation. But he said that now that the internationally-recognized government was in the capital, it was up to the international community to protect it and to facilitate the withdrawal⁴ of thousands of Ethiopian troops in the city.

Francois Fall added that government leaders must also do their part in reconciliation⁵ efforts to create a country that is free from clan⁶ violence and warlordism.

"This is the will of the international community, the will of the United Nations to see a reconciled Somalia," he said.

The envoy last met President Yusuf in the southern town of Baidoa, 250 kilometers away. That is where the interim government was based for more than a year, too weak to challenge an increasingly radical⁷ Mogadishu-based Islamist movement, which rose to power in June and threatened the government.

To prevent fundamentalist Islamists from threatening Ethiopia, the regional giant intervened militarily, sending troops to Somalia to support the interim government. On December 28, Somali and Ethiopian troops took control of Mogadishu, after Islamist leaders abandoned the city.

While many Somalis are still cheering the end of the Islamists' six-month religious rule, they also view Ethiopia as an historic enemy and have demanded that its troops withdraw. Ethiopia is eager to withdraw, but is concerned about leaving a security vacuum if there is no force in place to replace its troops.

The United States has led the call for the deployment⁸ of 8,000-member stabilization⁹ force from African states. So far, only the east African country of Uganda has pledged to contribute about 1,500 soldiers.

Meanwhile, President Yusuf assured the U.N. envoy that his government was reaching out to all clans¹⁰ and that Somalia's gun-infested capital was being disarmed¹¹.

But on Wednesday, the government's pro-Islamist speaker of parliament was voted out in a possible sign that the government is still not ready to reconcile with perceived enemies.

1 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。

2 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。

3 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

6 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

8 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

9 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

10 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

11 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》