2007年VOA标准英语-UN Officials Warn of Delays in Ivory Coast Peac

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
19 June 2007

Visiting officials from the United Nations Security Council are warning of delays in the latest peace plan in divided Ivory Coast. Despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers, the world body is playing a limited role in the implementation¹ of Ivory Coast's latest peace agreement signed last March by President Laurent Gbagbo and northern rebel leader Guillaume Soro. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our West Africa bureau in Dakar.

Reading from a prepared text, Peruvian Ambassador Jorge Voto-Bernales said there has been some progress since the March deal signed in Burkina Faso, but there are delays for the planned identification of undocumented Ivorians and for reorganizing a reunified army ahead of new elections.

Ivory Coast PM Guillaume Soro, front right, and Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, (c), after a meeting with other Security Council dignitaries in Abidjan, 19 June 2007

French ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere says the United Nations is playing a limited role in Ivory Coast's peace process.

"We are ready to assist, to help," he said. "We have listened to what has been told to us. We were in a listening mood."

He told journalists the Security Council would prepare a new resolution on Ivory Coast before the end of the month. The United Nations, he said, would help certify² the validity of the upcoming elections but play no role in organizing them.

A West Africa analyst³ with International Crisis Group, Gilles Yabi, says, despite progress, the core issues of the peace process remain unsolved.

"The relationship between Guillaume Soro and President Gbagbo seems to be holding and seems to be cordial but the key operations of identification of the population and restructuring of the armed forces which are really the most important operations in the peace plan remain to be done effectively on the ground," he said. "That means that the coming weeks and coming months will be really important and will determine the possibility of holding elections at least in the first quarter of the next year."

These elections have already been postponed⁴ twice. They were supposed to be held in October 2005. Even though Yabi believes Soro's high government position prevents renewed war between rebels and the southern army, he says there is a real threat of political violence.

"The risk of political violence remains⁵ high, especially when the key operation of identification will begin and when the electoral period will approach," he said. "It is very clear that Guillaume Soro and Laurent Gbagbo are not the only important actors on the political scene in the country. There is also the unarmed opposition⁶."

The rebels have held on to more than half of Ivory Coast since late 2002, saying they are fighting for many undocumented northerners who are treated as second class citizens, without voting rights and constantly facing persecution⁷ from authorities.

1 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

2 certify   

vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给

参考例句：

• I can certify to his good character.我可以证明他品德好。
• This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred meters.这张游泳证是用以证明我可以游100米远。

3 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。

4 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

5 remains   

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。

6 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。

7 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。