2007年VOA标准英语-West African Leaders Call for Accelerated Regio

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
15 June 2007

West African leaders concluded a one-day summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja with a commitment to speed up turning their region into a border-free zone by 2020. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa has this report.

(From R-L) Gambian Vice1 President Isatou Saidy, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade2, Burkinabe President Blaise Campaore, President of ECOWAS Commision Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Ghanaian President John Kufuor, Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua, Niger President Mamadou Tandja (15 June 2007)

West African leaders on Friday vowed³ to accelerate full regional integration⁴ after years of lagging behind schedule.

The purpose of a border-free zone, first thought of by ECOWAS in the 1980s, is to allow the free movement of goods and people throughout the zone.  Leaders hope the plan will harness Africa's resources and accelerate the continent's development.

But problems are still plaguing the plan. For instance, under a current provision, residents of ECOWAS member states can live in another member state for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa, but there is no provision for long-term residence.

In his remarks at the summit, ECOWAS President Mohammed Ibn Chambas urged the states to concentrate on making cross-border movement easier.  

"We wish to kindly⁵ request your excellencies to direct that all the outstanding non-tariff barriers and bottlenecks⁶ to free movement of persons and goods within your respective national jurisdictions⁷ be reduced to the barest minimum. We have a shared vision; by 2020 ECOWAS shall have moved from ECOWAS of states to ECOWAS of peoples," he said.

President John Kufuor of Ghana, who is also current chair of the African Union, says the time has come for ECOWAS to shift attention back to promoting economic development.

"For the past several years, ECOWAS has been preoccupied⁸ with the resolution of conflicts, to the detriment⁹ of its primary objective of economic development and integration," he noted¹⁰.  "Our nations of the sub-region should therefore seize the opportunity of the spreading peace to develop and improve the welfare of the citizenry."

Nigeria's new president, Umaru Yar'Adua, who was attending his first ECOWAS summit paid tribute to all those who worked for peace, declaring, West Africa is on the threshold of achieving peace, security and political stability.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

4 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

5 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

6 bottlenecks   

n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍

参考例句：

• Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 jurisdictions   

司法权( jurisdiction的名词复数 )； 裁判权； 管辖区域； 管辖范围

参考例句：

• Butler entreated him to remember the act abolishing the heritable jurisdictions. 巴特勒提醒他注意废除世袭审判权的国会法令。
• James I personally adjudicated between the two jurisdictions. 詹姆士一世亲自裁定双方纠纷。

8 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 detriment   

n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源

参考例句：

• Smoking is a detriment to one's health.吸烟危害健康。
• His lack of education is a serious detriment to his career.他的未受教育对他的事业是一种严重的妨碍。

10 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。