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2007年VOA标准英语-Colombian Group Urges Retooling of US Aid

时间:2007-06-05 00:51来源:互联网 提供网友:mimimi   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)
By Michael Bowman
Washington
09 May 2007

Colombian politicians and human rights activists2 visiting Washington this week say U.S. aid to their country focuses too much on military and anti-drug assistance and not enough on humanitarian3 needs. The delegation4 is drawing attention to Colombia's 3.5 million refugees and internally displaced people, as estimated by the U.N. refugee agency. VOA's Michael Bowman reports Congress is examining continued funding of Plan Colombia, an initiative that focuses on combating the drug trade, boosting the country's military, and creating favorable economic and social conditions for ending Colombia's decades-old civil war.

Colombia is the fourth-largest recipient5 of U.S. foreign aid, behind Iraq, Israel, and Egypt, with more than $4 billion in assistance flowing to Bogota since 2000.

During a visit to Colombia in March, President Bush highlighted U.S. efforts to promote prosperity and bring about positive social change in the country long plagued by drug-financed leftist guerrillas and rightwing paramilitary groups. Standing6 alongside President Alvaro Uribe, Mr. Bush also seemed to answer critics who say that three of every four U.S. aid dollars spent in Colombia go to anti-narcotics efforts and military assistance.

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Bogota, 08 May 2007
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Bogota, 08 May 2007
"You [President Uribe] recognize, like I recognize, that the most important function of state is to provide security for the people," said Mr. Bush. "You cannot tolerate in a society the ability of people to take innocent lives to achieve political objectives. There is a lot we [the United States and Colombia] can do. But part of it is to help you exercise control over all your territory, strengthen the rule of law, and to expand economic opportunity for your citizens. And we want to help."

The U.S. aid has not been without positive results, according to Eduardo Zúñiga, governor of Colombia's remote southwestern Nariño department. Zúñiga says overall security has improved somewhat in Nariño since Plan Colombia's inception7 in the late 1990s.

But the governor, who is visiting Washington, says the drug trade continues to flourish, and bloodshed remains8 all too common, with innocent civilians9 paying a heavy price.

"In the year 2000, there were 1,900 refugees in my department. In 2006, there were 55,000 displaced people, and currently we estimate we are approaching a total of 70,000," he said.

Just last month, a battle between leftist rebels and the armed forces caused thousands to flee a rural village in Nariño. Whether the villagers will ever return is an open question.

Zúñiga says Plan Colombia is a net positive for his country, but that the program could stand improvement.

"It is necessary to change the policy," he said. " I think it is necessary to spend less on the military side, without neglecting it, of course, but placing the emphasis on the social side."

Human rights workers accompanying Zúñiga say more than half of Colombia's internally displaced people are under the age of 20. Most come from the countryside and end up in the slums of major urban areas. Often unable to find work, they live on the margins10 of society, adding to Colombia's already sizable underclass.

The government of President Uribe says it is investing nearly $1 billion to promote social development and combat the effects of civil war, including backing organizations that assist internally displaced people. In addition, the government says those touched by violence will be entitled to reparations.

But Colombian human rights activist1 Marco Alberto Romero accuses Mr. Uribe of downplaying the magnitude of the crisis of internally displaced people, and says the government has proven itself incapable11 of delivering on social promises.

He says, regardless of how much is spent to eradicate12 coca leaf crops and to train and equip Colombia's armed forces, little will be accomplished13 so long as basic humanitarian needs go unmet.

"Building peace is not easy. We have years of pursuing it through military means. We think that providing solutions for peasants is a good alternative for controlling the drug trade and resolving the war," said Romero. " If we do not resolve the problem of the misery14 suffered by poor people, and if the war continues, conditions favorable to the drug trade will continue to exist."

Some Democrats15 in the opposition-controlled U.S. House of Representatives are pushing for an overhaul16 of U.S. aid to Colombia along the lines suggested by Romero and Governor Zúñiga.

Meanwhile, a bilateral17 free-trade pact18 negotiated by the Bush and Uribe administrations faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Congress, which must approve the measure for it to go into effect. Analysts19 say, with Iraq war funding and other matters taking center stage at present, it is unlikely the legislature will vote on the measure in the foreseeable future.


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1 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
2 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 humanitarian kcoxQ     
n.人道主义者,博爱者,基督凡人论者
参考例句:
  • She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业,并作了很大的贡献。
  • The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。
4 delegation NxvxQ     
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。
5 recipient QA8zF     
a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器
参考例句:
  • Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
  • Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。
6 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
7 inception bxYyz     
n.开端,开始,取得学位
参考例句:
  • The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
  • Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来,朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。
8 remains 1kMzTy     
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。
9 civilians 2a8bdc87d05da507ff4534c9c974b785     
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓
参考例句:
  • the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
  • At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后,至少有300名平民下落不明。
10 margins 18cef75be8bf936fbf6be827537c8585     
边( margin的名词复数 ); 利润; 页边空白; 差数
参考例句:
  • They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
  • To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙,加左或者右的margins来定义链接。
11 incapable w9ZxK     
adj.无能力的,不能做某事的
参考例句:
  • He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
  • Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。
12 eradicate Ui1zn     
v.根除,消灭,杜绝
参考例句:
  • These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
  • They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。
13 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
14 misery G10yi     
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
参考例句:
  • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
  • He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。
15 democrats 655beefefdcaf76097d489a3ff245f76     
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
  • The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 overhaul yKGxy     
v./n.大修,仔细检查
参考例句:
  • Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
  • It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知,铁路系统需要大检修。
17 bilateral dQGyW     
adj.双方的,两边的,两侧的
参考例句:
  • They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
  • There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题,两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。
18 pact ZKUxa     
n.合同,条约,公约,协定
参考例句:
  • The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
  • The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。
19 analysts 167ff30c5034ca70abe2d60a6e760448     
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
  • I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
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TAG标签:   VOA标准英语  Colombian  Group  Urges    Colombian  Group  Urges
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