2007年VOA标准英语-Southern African Leaders to Discuss Zimbabwe at

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
27 March 2007

Leaders of 14 nations in Southern Africa are to meet Wednesday and Thursday in Tanzania to discuss the political situation in Zimbabwe.  Meanwhile, senior leaders of Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party are preparing to discuss President Robert Mugabe's proposal to postpone² presidential elections scheduled for next year.  Southern Africa Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our bureau in Johannesburg.

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Robert Mugabe addresses supporters at his party's headquarters in Harare, 23 Mar 2007

Leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) called the meeting after police detained and severely³ beat several dozen opposition⁴ leaders who were trying to hold an anti-government rally two weeks ago.

The incident was widely condemned⁵ by the international community.  Reaction was milder from African leaders who expressed concern, but indicated they preferred to use diplomacy⁶ to bring change to Zimbabwe.

The head of the Capetown-based Transitional Justice-in-Africa Program, Brian Raftopoulos, says this is because Mr. Mugabe still enjoys some support among African leaders.

"He is not someone who is completely isolated," he noted⁷.  "And he does understand that even if SADC are looking to find a way through they have to do so in a way that is seen as an African initiative."

Raftopoulos says the Zimbabwean president, who reportedly will attend the summit, is likely to seek sympathy by portraying⁸ the opposition as an agent of outside forces and himself as a victim of foreign interference.

But he says there is also a realization⁹ among some African leaders that this argument is no longer sufficient.  Some African governments are said to be quietly urging reconciliation¹⁰ talks between the Zimbabwean leader and his opponents.

Mr. Mugabe is also facing opposition from within his ZANU-PF party. The party's Political Bureau and Central Committee are to hold meetings later this week, during which they are expected to discuss a proposal by the president to extend his term by two years.

The Zimbabwean leader wants the presidential election to be held at the same time as parliamentary elections in 2010.

But analyst¹¹ Raftopoulos says the proposal is meeting with resistance from some party members.

"There is going to be an intense struggle within the ZANU-PF structures to contain Mugabe's ambitions, but I think that we are likely to see a very strong fight-back from Mugabe to try and get the extension that he demands," he added.

He notes that Mr. Mugabe has taken a hard line against his critics.  And the government has announced that veterans from the war for independence, who are strong supporters of the president, are to be armed and incorporated into the military as a reserve force.

Opposition to the Mugabe government has been growing in recent years because of food shortages, rampant¹² inflation, high unemployment and by what is seen as increasingly autocratic leadership from a government that has been in power for 27 years.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 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。

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

7 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。

8 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

9 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

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 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。

12 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。