2007年VOA标准英语-UN to Reduce Number of Peacekeepers in Liberia

By Kari Barber
Dakar
22 August 2007

A United Nations plan to reduce the number of peacekeepers in war-scarred Liberia has some Liberians concerned about the security of the country.  But others are welcoming the plan for the gradual withdrawal¹ of peacekeepers, which would bring the total number of U.N. troops down from more than 14,000 to about 9,000 in the next three years.  Kari Barber has more from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar with additional reporting by Prince Collins in Monrovia.

Nepalese UN peacekeepers try to contain Liberian men, some of whom have lined up for two days to register for the new Liberian Army in Monrovia, Liberia, 19 Jan 2006

U.N. armored tanks patrol the streets of Monrovia at night.  Crime remains² high in the nation following the end of its civil war in 2003.

The instability has some citizens, like social worker Brimah Kemoh, worried about U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's recommendation to begin withdrawing the peacekeeping force stationed in Liberia in the coming months.

"I think they should stay there and put the situation completely under control and make sure our security is prepared to deal with any unforeseen situation that may come up," he said.

Development worker Joseph Moseray says he does not think Liberia's security forces are ready to take responsibility from the U.N. forces (UNMIL).

"I do not want to say instability, but look at the vulnerability of the security and the society as a whole.  Certain apparatus³ need to be put into place before UNMIL decides to leave," he said.

But university student John Molly says he thinks the country is ready to become less dependent on the United Nations.

"We should learn to stand on our own and UNMIL cannot stay here long," he said.

United Nations officials say they have trained thousands of Liberian officers and are putting into place a 500-person rapid response team to deal with emergencies.

The United Nations special representative to Liberia, Alan Doss, says the withdrawal will give Liberia a chance to grow.

"It is also a challenge to Liberia and its government because we want to see, progressively, to transfer responsibilities in a responsible, measured way to Liberia and Liberians," he explained.

Secretary General Ban recommended the withdrawal in a report to the Security Council last week, citing improvements in Liberia under the presidency⁴ of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.  However, he said it is too early to set a timetable for a full withdrawal.  He said the security of the 2011 presidential elections would be taken into account in any decision that is made.

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 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。

3 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。