2007年VOA标准英语-Hamas Leader to Hold Reconciliation Talks With

By Sonja Pace
Damascus
05 February 2007

Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, right, and Khaled Mashaal, in Damascus, Syria (File photo - 21 Jan 2007)

Exiled Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal is to meet Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Saudi Arabia to try to reconcile differences and stop the factional fighting that has claimed more than 80 Palestinian lives since December. Speaking with reporters at his headquarters in Damascus Sunday evening, Mashaal said the Mecca talks must not fail. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from the Syrian capital.

Khaled Mashaal called for restraint and urged militants² from both Hamas and the rival Fatah faction¹ to stop shedding Palestinian blood. That, he said should be reserved for the battle against Israel.

Mashaal called for a permanent cease fire between the factions³, beyond the shaky temporary one, which is currently in place. We are doing our best to stop the fighting he said, adding that the meeting in Mecca must not be allowed to fail.

Mashaal and his Fatah rival, President Mahmoud Abbas held talks here in Damascus last month, but failed to reach agreement on forming a national unity⁴ government as a prelude⁵ to ending the violence.

Tensions between the Islamic Hamas and the secular⁶ Fatah faction have been on the rise ever since Hamas won a parliamentary majority in Palestinian elections a year ago. That gave Hamas control of the government, but it has been unable to govern effectively and remains⁷ crippled by international sanctions because it refuses to renounce⁸ violence and recognize Israel.

The United States, the European Union and Israel, consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Hamas says it is waging a legitimate⁹ fight against Israeli occupation.

There have been sporadic¹⁰ confrontations¹¹ between Hamas and Fatah militants ever since the elections, but the clashes have become increasingly serious. More than 80 Palestinians have been killed in fighting in Gaza since December, when talks on a national unity government collapsed¹² and Mr. Abbas called for new elections.

Speaking in Damascus, Mashaal accused Israel and the United States of exploiting Palestinian differences and he rejected U.S. efforts to strengthen the forces loyal to President Abbas.

Mashaal said this foreign interference will only bring instability and bloodshed and he said the Palestinian people will reject it.

 

Mashaal said he remains optimistic an agreement can be reached in Mecca - a sentiment echoed in Gaza by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, who will also participate in the reconciliation¹³ talks.

1 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。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 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

4 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。

5 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

6 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

7 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。

8 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

11 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

12 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

13 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。