VOA常速英语2007-Somali Leaders Negotiating for New PM

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
31 October 2007

The president of Somalia's transitional government has been meeting with Somali political and clan¹ leaders to settle on a candidate to head the government, following the resignation Monday of interim² Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi.  Derek Kilner has more from VOA's East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

President Abdullahi Yusuf's choice of a new prime minister will have to take into account the country's clan dynamics³.

Mr. Yussuf is facing increasing opposition⁴ from leaders of the Hawiye clan, the country's largest.  Former Prime Minister Gedi is a member of the Hawiye, but did not have widespread backing among the group.  Mr. Yussuf's Darod clan is Somalia 's second largest.

Somali lawmaker Awad Ashureh says legislators are debating a proposal to do away with a rule stating that only members of parliament can be chosen to serve as prime minister or cabinet members.  Ashureh says it may be difficult to attain⁵ the required two-thirds majority in parliament to pass the measure.

"The only barrier we are having now is the number that are needed to vote for the amendment⁶, which needs nearly 184 members of parliament to vote for that," he said.
 
Until a successor is named, Salim Aliyow Ibrow, who was Mr. Gedi's deputy, is serving as acting⁷ prime minister. 

"Our government is a caretaking government; we will deal with daily activities," he said.  "Also, the term is very short.  I will try my best to create confidence among Somalis."

While legislators discussed the future of the government in the town of Baidoa, where the parliament is located, fighting continued in the capital, Mogadishu. 

The United Nations said Tuesday that a new wave of 36,000 people fled the capital following fighting in recent days.  And 40 international aid organizations operating in Somalia issued a statement warning of a deteriorating⁸ humanitarian⁹ situation in south-central Somalia.
 
The presence of Ethiopian troops is unpopular with many Somalis.  But Ethiopia has had the strong backing of both President Yusuf and former Prime Minister Gedi.  Acting Prime Minister Ibrow says that Ethiopian troops are likely to remain for the time being.
 
"The Ethiopian troops depend on the arrival of AU troops in Somalia," he noted¹⁰.  "But, now, we don't see any way to remove Ethiopian forces from Mogadishu."

While a large African Union peacekeeping force has been authorized¹¹ for Somalia, only about 1,600 Ugandan troops have arrived.

1 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。

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 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

4 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。

5 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

9 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。

10 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。

11 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。