VOA常速英语2007年-International Mediators Meet on Darfur in Asmar

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
14 November 2007

U.N. and AU mediators met with representatives of Sudan's neighbors in the Eritrean capital Asmara to discuss the way forward on peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region. Derek Kilner has this report for VOA from Nairobi.

The U.N. envoy¹ for the Darfur peace process, Jan Eliasson and his counterpart in the African Union, Salim Ahmed Salim, were in Asmara to discuss the conflict with representatives of Sudan's neighbors, including Chad, Libya, Egypt and Eritrea.

Peace talks convened² by the United Nations and African Union in Sirte, Libya in late October were quickly put on hold due to the absence of several key rebel factions⁴. U.N. and AU representatives held meetings with rebel groups in the Southern Sudanese capital, Juba, last week.

Mediators are hoping to unify⁵ the positions of the many rebel factions and encourage them to join the Libya talks when they resume in early December.

That effort showed its first signs of progress on Tuesday, when six factions of the Sudan Liberation Army announced their unification. According to a rebel quoted by the Reuters news agency, the group includes the faction³ headed by Ahmed Abdel Shafie.

But Timothy Othieno, a researcher with South Africa's Institute for Global Dialogue cautions that the group does not include the two most influential⁶ leaders of the Sudan Liberation Army.

"The two major groupings are out," said Timothy Othieno. "And that is the SLA-Unity faction led by Abdallah Yahia, which was supposedly responsible for the Haskanita atrocities⁷ on the AU troops; and most importantly, the SLA founder⁸ Abdul Wahid Nur, who has not taken part in any negotiation⁹ or reconciliation¹⁰ conference."

Othieno says that Yahia's faction, whose delegates have returned to the field to discuss their position towards the unification efforts, might be persuaded to join the new group. But he says it will be much more difficult to persuade al-Nur, to attend the peace talks.

"He wants certain guarantees on the table before there can begin any negotiation," he said. "And these include issues of representation, issues of de-marginalization of utilizing¹¹ the resources of Darfur for the region and so on and so forth¹²."

While al-Nur, who is currently living in Paris, does not command troops on the ground, he is seen as widely influential among the Darfur population, particularly in camps for the displaced.

In addition to Yahia and al-Nur, the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Khalil Ibrahim, has also boycotted¹³ the peace talks, saying too many minor¹⁴ factions are involved. They have said the talks should involve only their group and one delegation¹⁵ from the SLA.

Rebel groups have also been calling for the talks to be moved from Libya to another location.

The conflict in Darfur has killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced an additional 2.5 million since 2003.

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 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

3 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

4 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

5 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

7 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

9 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

10 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。

11 utilizing   

v.利用，使用( utilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Utilizing an assembler to produce a machine-language program. 用汇编程序产生机器语言的过程。 来自辞典例句
• The study and use of devices utilizing properties of materials near absolute zero in temperature. 对材料在接近绝对零度时的特性进行研究和利用的学科。 来自辞典例句

12 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

13 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

14 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

15 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。