2007年VOA标准英语-UN Security Council to Get Lebanon Tribunal Mea

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
15 May 2007

U.N. Security Council

The United States and its European allies are pushing the U.N. Security Council to move quickly to create a tribunal for suspects in the killing¹ of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. From U.N. headquarters, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports a resolution could be introduced as early as this week.

The issue of establishing an international tribunal in the Hariri assassination² case was put on the fast track. That move came a day after Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asking for help, saying Lebanese efforts to create the court had reached a dead end.

Mr. Ban immediately forwarded the letter to the Security Council, and the Council president for May, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, said he intends to respond with a draft resolution within days.

"The Lebanese parliament, the majority supports it. The democratic elected government of Lebanon, the prime minister, has sent a letter saying the minority is blocking a moving forward, and he has asked for the U.N. to establish a tribunal to assist the Lebanese, and to do it in a way that is binding³. Therefore, it is important from our point of view to assist the Lebanese in establishment of that tribunal, and we expect to introduce a resolution perhaps before the end of the week," he said.

Mr. Hariri and 22 others were killed by a massive bomb in Beirut in February, 2005. A preliminary U.N. investigation⁴ implicated⁵ Syrian intelligence officials in the assassination plot. Syria has strongly denied the allegation.

The issue of setting up a tribunal for suspects in the case has sparked a political crisis in Lebanon. The country's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, is reported to have sent his own letter to Secretary-General Ban warning of what he called "renewed instability" if the court is established.

But America's U.N. Ambassador Khalilzad argued that stability in Lebanon requires that Rafik Hariri's killers⁶ be brought to justice. He told reporters, "We cannot let the Lebanese down."

"It is very important that there be justice done with regard to attacks that have taken place, and important in terms of future, longer-term stability of Lebanon, that such actions be deterred⁷ through the judicial⁸ process, the tribunal involves, so we believe that for the stability of Lebanon, for the success of democracy in Lebanon, it is very important this tribunal be established," he said.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch is in Beirut for talks about the tribunal with Lebanese leaders. He was meeting with Prime Minister Siniora, as well as with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who has refused to convene⁹ the legislature to approve the tribunal, arguing that the Siniora government is illegitimate.

Meanwhile, the U.N. investigation into the Hariri assassination and other political killings¹⁰ in Lebanon is said to be nearly complete. The lead investigator¹¹, Belgian prosecutor¹² Serge Brammertz, recently said he was ready to begin presenting the case for prosecution¹³.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

3 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

7 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

8 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

9 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

10 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

11 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

12 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。