voa标准英语2008-EU Kosovo Justice Mission to Consolidate Rule of

The European Union said Friday its justice mission to Kosovo would be up and running next week. The mission aims to mentor¹ Kosovo's transition since it declared independence from Serbia earlier this year.
　

European Union policemen wearing the bloc2's insignia in Kosovo's capital Pristina, 27 Nov. 2008

Known as EULEX, the European Union's justice mission to Kosovo amounts to the largest civilian³ operation launched by the 27-member bloc. In a statement Friday, the EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said the mission would be crucial for consolidating⁴ the rule of law in Kosovo and strengthening institutions to the benefit of all ethnic⁵ groups in Kosovo.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February, a move opposed by Belgrade and Russia, as well as Kosovo's ethnic Serbs. The EU mission aims to progressively take over control from the United Nations, which has been operating in Kosovo since 1999.

The EU mission's commander, French General Yves de Kermabon, said it aimed to work in both the majority ethnic Albanian and ethnic Serb communities of Kosovo.

"I can affirm today that we are ready, beginning of December, to start fulfilling the mission," he said. "It means that we have the minimum requirements to do this and to begin to work with our local counterparts."

The mission already numbers about 1,200 police, law experts and customs officials, a figure that will grow in the coming weeks and months to about 1,900 members. Their work will include controlling police, justice and customs during Kosovo's transition, while remaining neutral about its status. Most, but not all EU members recognize Kosovo's independence.

The mission includes almost all 27 EU members. The United States is also participating for the first time in an EU mission, and will provide about 80 police. EULEX is scheduled to operate for two years, but may stay longer.

1 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

2 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 consolidating   

v.（使）巩固， （使）加强( consolidate的现在分词 )；（使）合并

参考例句：

• These measures are meant for consolidating the system of basic medical care. 这些举措旨在夯实基层医疗体系，让老百姓看大病不必出远门。 来自互联网
• We are consolidating the Chinese and English versions of our homepage. 我们将为您提供中英文版本一起的主页。 来自互联网

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。