2007年VOA标准英语-UN Slashes Ethiopia-Eritrea Peace Mission

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
30 January 2007

The United Nations is reducing the size of its peacekeeping mission along the Ethiopia-Eritrea frontier. VOA's correspondent at the U.N. Peter Heinlein reports the cutback is a sign of the Council's exasperation¹ at the neighbors' failure to settle their border dispute.

 
U.N. Security Council
The Security Council unanimously approved a plan to cut the Ethiopia-Eritrea mission from 2,300 to 1,700. At the same time, the Council lamented² the lack of progress in settling a boundary dispute that has festered since a truce³ in 2000 ended more than two years of fighting that killed 70,000 people.

A resolution extending the life of the mission, known as UNMEE, criticizes both countries. It calls for Ethiopia to accept a settlement handed down by an international boundary commission, and it demands that Eritrea withdraw troops from a buffer⁴ zone along the 1,000-kilometer-long frontier.

Diplomats⁵ say slashing⁷ the strength of the force by 600 is a sign of the Council's frustration⁸ at the failure of efforts to resolve the dispute.

Michael Hoare, a spokesman for the British mission to the United Nations, says both sides are to blame.

He said, "The difficulty here is that you have one country, Ethiopia, that has not recognized as final and binding⁹ the EEBC decision, so it has played its part in difficulties we have reached, and another country, Eritrea, which is not acknowledging the international nature of the U.N. mission and imposing¹⁰ restrictions¹¹ that impede¹² UNMEE from doing it is job and in some cases place it in danger."

"So yes, a really frustrating¹³ position for the Council, and when both parties are at fault, it is very hard to see how the council can provide leverage," he continued.

 
Dumisani Kumalo (file photo)
South Africa's U.N. Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo says the Security Council resolution is intended as a gentle warning to both sides.

He said, "The resolution calls on both of them to indicate that if we know they are not going to do anything, then the Council will have to take its own actions."

"The problem is they agreed to a border demarcation both of them they crated¹⁴ demarcation body together, so they have to resolve it among themselves, the Security is remaining neutral, saying we want to see movement on both sides before we decide what to do next," he added.

The chief of U.N. peacekeeping operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno was quoted as saying the entire Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process is failing. Speaking to the French news agency on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Guehenno said the U.N. force is in what he called "a very difficult and uncomfortable situation".

He said the Security Council's move to slash⁶ the size of the mission should send "a strong signal to both parties". On the other hand, he warned it would be "grossly irresponsible" for the international community to give up completely.

1 exasperation   

n.愤慨

参考例句：

• He snorted with exasperation.他愤怒地哼了一声。
• She rolled her eyes in sheer exasperation.她气急败坏地转动着眼珠。

2 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

5 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》

6 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

7 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

8 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

9 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

10 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 impede   

v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止

参考例句：

• One shouldn't impede other's progress.一个人不应该妨碍他人进步。
• The muddy roads impede our journey.我们的旅游被泥泞的道路阻挠了。

13 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 crated   

把…装入箱中( crate的过去式 )

参考例句：

• If I know Rhoda she's already crated and boxed them out of sight. 如果没猜错罗达的脾气，我相信她已经把它们装了箱放到一边了。
• Tanks must be completely drained of fuel before the vehicles are crated. 车辆在装箱前必须把油箱里的燃油完全排干。