VOA常速英语2007年-Major Parties in Kosovo Elections Pledge Indepe

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
17 November 2007

The people of Kosovo are voting Saturday for a new local government.  All the main political parties in the Albanian-majority province have pledged to gain independence from Serbia. Kosovo's Serbian minority is expected to boycott¹ the vote. Stefan Bos has details.

Kosovo's parliament has reserved 10 seats for the Serbian minority, but witnesses say Serb voters appeared to be heeding² a call to boycott Saturday's poll.
 
Oliver Ivanovic, a Kosovo Serb leader, says he is not surprised.

"Local fellows of the government are pressing the local people not to appear at the voting booths," he said.  "That pressure is practically not needed because all people are concerned that participation³ in the election can undermine the negotiation⁴ position of the Serbian delegation⁵."
 
Saturday's elections for new legislative⁶ and municipal representatives are the first organized by local authorities since 1999, when the United Nations took control over the province following the ouster of Serb forces by NATO.  
 
Serbs comprise less than 10 percent of Kosovo's mainly ethnic⁷ Albanian population of over 2 million people, and officials have expressed concerns about their future after the ballot⁹. 
 
Serbian Prime Minister Voijislav Kostunica has told reporters in Budapest this week that he still hopes to reach a compromise. He says he is ready to provide Kosovo with autonomy or independence within the borders of Serbia. Officials have compared that compromise with the status of Hong Kong in China. 
 
Speaking through an interpreter, Mr. Kostunica said any other solution would violate Serbia's constitution.

"Serbia also has a democratic constitution which very clearly articulates that Kosovo is an inseparable part of Serbia. So in this respect should any attempts being made to declare independence, Serbia by all means appeal."

Kosovo's main ethnic Albanian candidates have rejected anything other than full independence for Kosovo.
 
Despite the controversy¹⁰, the commander of the NATO-led 'KFOR' force in Kosovo, Lieutenant-General Xavier Bout⁸ de Marnhac, says he hopes Serbs and ethnic Albanians will both vote in the elections.

"KFOR would be ready and there are a sufficient number of troops will be deployed¹¹ in the field to provide security," he said.  "So my message is to any citizens, 'You have the freedom to vote in a safe and secure environment and please use your right to vote.' I think this is important for the future of Kosovo."

Prime Minister Agim Ceku, a former separatist guerrilla commander, is stepping down as Kosovo's prime minister. The ruling Democratic League of Kosovo is in a tight race against the opposition¹² Democratic Party of Kosovo, led by Hashim Thaci, another former guerrilla.  Pre-election surveys showed the opposition holding a narrow lead.

Thaci has promised his voters a complete break from Serbia almost immediately after December 10, when internationally supervised talks with Belgrade end.
 
Despite the campaign pledge, the opposition party is not expected to receive enough votes to avoid forming a coalition¹³ with the ruling party.

1 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

2 heeding   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This come of heeding people who say one thing and mean another! 有些人嘴里一回事，心里又是一回事，今天这个下场都是听信了这种人的话的结果。 来自辞典例句
• Her dwarfish spouse still smoked his cigar and drank his rum without heeding her. 她那矮老公还在吸他的雪茄，喝他的蔗酒，睬也不睬她。 来自辞典例句

3 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 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。

5 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。

6 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

9 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

12 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。

13 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。