2007年VOA标准英语-UN Elects Egypt, Angola to Rights Council, Reje

By Victoria Cavaliere
New York
17 May 2007

The United Nations General Assembly has elected 14 new members to the 47-seat Human Rights Council. Victoria Cavaliere reports from the United Nations that Thursday's vote rejected membership for Belarus, which is described by Washington as Europe's last dictatorship.

UN General Assembly

Belarus failed to gain a seat on the on the U.N. Human Rights Council after two rounds of voting.  Instead, the two vacant eastern European seats went to Slovenia and to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which only applied¹ for a seat last week.

U.N. Diplomats² say Western countries encouraged Bosnia to seek membership in an attempt to keep Belarus off the council.

Human rights groups had called on the General Assembly to vote against Belarus as well as Egypt, Qatar and Angola, countries which have been cited for poor human rights records.  However, those three countries were running uncontested, and easily gained passage to the council.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, said he was generally pleased with the results.

"I was particularly heartened by the election of Bosnia, and congratulate the Bosnians," he said.  "This bodes³ well for the reform of the Human Rights Council that is very much needed."

The Human Rights council was created in 2006, replacing the largely discredited⁴ U.N. Human Rights Commission.  One aim of the new council is to keep chronic⁵ human rights abusers off its roster⁶.  But, in its first year, rights groups have criticized the council for being little better than its predecessor⁷.

The United States did not seek membership for the second-year in a row.  It voted against the creation of the Council last year, saying it needed to raise its standards for membership and the scope of its censure⁸.

Last year, the council issued eight resolutions criticizing Israel and one criticizing Sudan.

In addition to Egypt, Qatar and Angola, the other new members of the Council are South Africa, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Italy, the Netherlands, Madagascar, and Slovenia.

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bodes   

v.预示，预告，预言( bode的第三人称单数 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待

参考例句：

• This bodes ill for the failure of the programme. 这是那项计划有凶兆。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• This bodes him no good. 这对他是不祥之兆。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

5 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

6 roster   

n.值勤表，花名册

参考例句：

• The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。
• The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

7 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

8 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。