2007年VOA标准英语-Somalia Government Ridicules Opposition Gatheri

By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi
13 September 2007

Somalia's interior minister has ridiculed¹ opposition² leaders meeting in Eritrea who have formed a new group that has promised war with Ethiopian troops that are backing the government. Nick Wadhams has more from Nairobi.

Mohamed Mohamud Guled, 13 Sep 2007

Somali Interior Minister Mohamed Mohamud Guled says Somalia's opposition already lost its opportunity to rule over the country when it was ousted⁴ by Ethiopian troops that entered the country in December.

He was responding to a decision made in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, on Wednesday, when Somali opposition leaders and members of the Islamic Courts Union that briefly⁵ held sway formed a new movement meant at forcing Ethiopian troops to withdraw.

The Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia has promised to oust³ the Ethiopians either through force or diplomacy⁶. Yet the interior minister, Guled, says the group is in no position to do so.

"They had a good chance, they were controlling the capital and most of the southern part of Somalia," said Guled. "In that case, even if they organize themselves, I don't think they will succeed because they don't have broad support, they don't have political motivation. We are really close to eradicating⁷ them."

Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in December at the behest of the country's weak transitional government to expel the Islamic Courts Union, which had gradually gained control of much of the country. Somalia has not had a proper government since a 1991 coup⁸.

While the Ethiopian troops have been unable to restore order to Somalia, analysts⁹ say the new opposition group will have a tough time forcing its withdrawal¹⁰. However, its existence could fuel an Iraq-style insurgency¹¹ that steadily¹² bleeds the Ethiopian forces.

Iqbal Jhazbhay is a Horn of Africa specialist at the University of South Africa.

"I'm doubtful that you can have a situation where the Ethiopians can be militarily defeated," said Jhazbhay. "The Ethiopian military on the ground is one of the biggest militaries in sub-Saharan Africa. You're likely to see a scenario¹³ along the lines of Baghdad, where you'll have roadside bombings, where you'll have suicide bombings."

The new opposition group was formed after days of talks in Asmara. Eritrea's decision to host the meeting is only likely to worsen tension with Ethiopia, its arch-rival. The government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has shown no sign that it intends to pull its troops out of Somalia anytime soon.

1 ridiculed   

v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Biosphere 2 was ultimately ridiculed as a research debade, as exfravagant pseudoscience. 生物圈2号最终被讥讽为科研上的大失败，代价是昂贵的伪科学。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She ridiculed his insatiable greed. 她嘲笑他的贪得无厌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

4 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。

5 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

6 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

7 eradicating   

摧毁，完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
• We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。

8 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。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 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。

11 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

12 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

13 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。