2007年VOA标准英语-Somali Leaders Open Eritrea Conference

By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi
06 September 2007

Leaders from diverse groups in Somalia launched a 10-day conference in Eritrea Thursday to discuss how to end the chaos¹ in Somalia and force Ethiopian troops to pull out. Nick Wadhams has more from our East Africa bureau in Nairobi.

The conference in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, opened with an immediate² demand that Ethiopia withdraw its troops from Somalia, which they invaded in December.

Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, (2006 file photo)

Organizers said 450 delegates attended the first day, including Sheikh Hassan Aweys, the leader of the Islamic Courts Union.

The group had taken control of much of Somalia before Ethiopia, backed by the U.S. government, ousted³ its forces in a quick campaign. In the months since, the Ethiopian forces and soldiers with Somalia's transitional government have been unable to bring peace to the capital.

The organizers say they want to create a political group that will bring peace to Somalia. The country last saw stability more than 15 years ago, before dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted in a coup⁴.

"We are expecting to bring up to the end of the conference a program that not only deals with the Ethiopian invasion, but also a program that brings solution to the everlasting⁵ civil war that has been occurring in our country for the last 15 years," said Mahad Sheikh, one of the organizers of the meeting.  "So we are expecting success and to bring change to Somalia."

The meeting saw strong criticism directed at the United States, Ethiopia's most important ally. Aweys warned that Somalia's neighbors risk destabilization because of its conflict, and called the U.S. policy toward Somalia strangely confrontational⁶.

Aweys asked that the United States play a more positive role in the conflict. Aweys and several other members of the Islamic Courts Union are suspected of links to al-Qaida.

Last week, another conference was held in Mogadishu, sponsored by the transitional government and international groups. Islamists refused to attend that meeting, saying Ethiopian troops must withdraw first.

1 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。

6 confrontational   

adj.挑衅的；对抗的

参考例句：

• Fans love rappers partly because they strike such a confrontational pose. 乐迷热爱这些饶舌艺人一定程度上是因为他们所采取的那种战斗姿态。 来自互联网
• You prefer a non confrontational approach when it comes to resolving disputes. 面对争端，你不喜欢采用对抗性的手段来解决。 来自互联网