VOA常速英语2007年-Ivorian President Embarks on Reconciliation Tri

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
28 November 2007

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has embarked¹ on a planned multi-city three-day trip to the rebel-held north in Ivory Coast, following an agreement with rebel leader turned Prime Minister Guillaume Soro to hold national elections during the first half of 2008.  VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our West Africa bureau in Dakar.

After Mr. Gbagbo touched down by helicopter in the city of Korhogo, in the Ivorian region known as the "Great North", he was greeted by musicians.

But local journalist Omar Sidibe says many people here know Mr. Gbagbo as the president who ordered the bombing of their areas, while cutting off water and electricity.

He says Prime Minister Soro preceded Mr. Gbagbo's visit by calling on northerners to, in his words, be affectionate toward the president, because he is Ivorian like they are.

Sidibe says for Mr. Gbagbo this a test to see if there is freedom of movement for goods, people and also political candidates across divided Ivory Coast.

Following meetings with Mr. Soro and mediator² Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore in Burkina Faso Tuesday, Mr. Gbagbo said steady progress is being made in the drawn-out peace process.

He says now a phase begins to prepare elections.

Burkina Faso's Foreign Affairs Minister Djibril Bassole says the two sides agreed to hold elections in the first half of 2008.  But Bassole adds logistics are still being worked out by election officials, who should be getting help from a French company called Sagem.

Elections, both presidential and legislative³, have been pushed back in divided Ivory Coast for two years, amid repeated delays.

An identification program to nationalize undocumented northerners and give them voting rights has stalled many times amid procedural disputes, while armed rebels, known as the New Forces, or Forces Nouvelles, remain in control of more than half the country. 

Analyst⁴ with the International Crisis Group, Gilles Yabi, says reintegration of some of the rebel fighters into the Ivorian army shows no sign of happening any time soon.

"We have no clear agreement – [on] for example, official agreement on the number of the rebels of the Forces Nouvelles who are going to be integrated into the new army," he said.  "And we still have a lot of delays on the disagreement process.  Nothing has really changed in the field of the disarmament and the integration⁵ of the Forces Nouvelles in the new army."

One stumbling block has been which ranks the rebels will have.

While Ivory Coast remains⁶ divided, Yabi says populations continue to suffer from this situation of semi-war, semi-peace, controlled by underpaid fighters.

"We are talking about reconciliation⁷.  We have this visit from Gbagbo.  We have all these signs.  But at the same time, we do not see on the ground, the end of the occupation of the territory by the Forces Nouvelles," he added.  "Because without a clear solution for the former combatants of the rebellion, it will be difficult to see an end in the racket and distortion of funds for example by the Forces Nouvelles elements in the north."

Rebels say they took up arms in late 2002 for millions of undocumented northerners to become Ivorian citizens and voters.  Supporters of Mr. Gbagbo say just tens of thousands of northerners without papers qualify for Ivorian nationality.  Politicians from all sides agree Ivory Coast has never had a free and fair election.

1 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

2 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

3 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。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

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。