VOA常速英语2007年-Ivory Coast President Agrees With US Reconcilia

By Phillip Wellman
Abidjan
12 November 2007

An official spokesman for Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has said the president believes political leaders from across the spectrum¹ must work together in order to guarantee lasting² peace in the country. The comment follows a recent visit by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who says much of his time in Ivory Coast was spent encouraging authorities to work transparently³ and collectively to implement⁴ a March peace accord. Phillip Wellman reports for VOA from Abidjan.

Presidential spokesman Gervais Coulibaly says Mr. Gbagbo agrees with ambassador Negroponte that the best way to implement Ivory Coast's peace accord is by collaborating⁵ with the opposition⁶ on important issues.

Negroponte's two-day visit to Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan, which concluded Sunday evening, follows growing international concern about the prolonged process of reconciliation⁷ in the country.

Negroponte met government and opposition leaders, U.N. officials and representatives from civil society during his visit to evaluate progress towards unity⁸. Negroponte is the most senior U.S. official to visit Ivory Coast since the beginning of civil war in 2002, which divided the country into a government-controlled south and a rebel-held north.

The peace accord signed between President Gbagbo and rebel leader Guillaume Soro in March, resulted in a coalition⁹ government in which Soro became prime minister. The aim of the agreement is to guarantee free and fair presidential elections.

The accord is widely believed to be Ivory Coast's best chance at reconciliation, but concerns over the pace of implementation¹⁰ have led some international observers, including U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, to express serious concern.

Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Mr. Negroponte said the United States would like to see full implementation of the peace accord happen as soon as possible. He says that some progress has been made since March, but more should continue.

"Implementation will require courage and a willingness to move beyond the disagreements that have kept Cote d'Ivoire divided," he said. "In my meetings today, I urged Ivorian leaders from across the spectrum to take the steps they know are necessary to implement the agreement and to work together to improve Cote d'Ivoire's prospects¹¹ for the future."

Negroponte says following through with the agreement will be a complex task, but says it must be done to improve Ivory Coast's social and economic prospects.

"The road ahead will be a difficult one - but it is not an impossible one," he noted¹². "There will be difficult choices that only Ivorians can make and I encouraged your leaders today to address these issues in as open a manner as possible so all points of view are heard."

Identification of undocumented Ivorians, reintegration of rebels into the national army and disarmament are issues that Ivory Coast has yet to fully¹³ deal with. Mr. Gbagbo says he is trying to solve the country's problems thoroughly¹⁴ and together with the opposition, but critics say the president is stalling reconciliation procedures to remain in power. Mr. Gbagbo denies the accusations¹⁵.

A coalition of opposition political parties in Ivory Coast says it is currently trying without any success to work with Mr. Gbagbo to make sure presidential elections are held before April 2008.

Negroponte says he believes there is a strong desire on the part of all parties to move towards unity.

Ivory Coast was Negroponte's first stop on a West African tour that will also take him to Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali.

1 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

2 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。

3 transparently   

明亮地，显然地，易觉察地

参考例句：

• "Clearly plots,'said Jacques Three. "Transparently!" “显然是搞阴谋，”雅克三号说，“再清楚不过了。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• All design transparently, convenient for the file identification inside the bag. 全透明设计，方便袋内文件识别。

4 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。

5 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

6 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。

7 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。

8 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。

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

11 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

12 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。

13 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。

14 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

15 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。