VOA常速英语2008年-Top American Envoys Meet Pakistani Officials as

By Steve Herman
Islamabad
25 March 2008

Pakistan's president has sworn in a political enemy as prime minister.  Meanwhile, two top U.S. State Department officials arrived in the country and held talks with the embattled president and the new government leaders.  VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from Islamabad.

At exactly noon, a stone-faced President Pervez Musharraf administered the oath of office to new Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who spent more than four years in jail under Mr. Musharraf's rule.

"May Allah Almighty¹ help and guide me, Amen," Mr. Musharraf said.

"May Allah Almighty help and guide me, Amen," Mr. Gilani repeated.

Some supporters of the prime minister then began chanting "Long Live Bhutto."

If she had not been assassinated² on December 27, it is possible former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto would have been the one taking the oath of office.

Her Pakistan Peoples Party swept to victory, on a wave of sympathy, in last month's elections.  The runner-up party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has joined the party of his rival, the late Ms. Bhutto, to form an anti-Musharraf coalition³.

Pakistan's evolving political framework throws into doubt the level of the country's future cooperation with the United States on confronting terrorism.  Mr. Musharraf has been a staunch ally of Washington in the global anti-terrorism campaign. 

Pakistani officials say two top American envoys⁴, John Negroponte, deputy secretary of state, and Richard Boucher, assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs, spent 90 minutes with President Musharraf.

The American envoys also scheduled talks with Prime Minister Gilani.

They earlier met Mr. Sharif, a key player in the new coalition.  He says he told the American diplomats⁵ President Musharraf can no longer make guarantees to Washington on Pakistan's behalf, because the era of one-man rule has ended.

"I told them very frankly⁶, I said, Musharraf is a man whom we consider an unconstitutional president, an illegal president and who does not enjoy the support of the people of Pakistan," Sharif said.

The former prime minister says Musharraf's decisions of the past eight years were meant to promote the former army chief's personal interests and national policy will now be formulated⁷ by the parliament.

A showdown is looming⁸ between the new government and the president concerning the judiciary.  The coalition has pledged to restore to the bench judges removed last year by the president.  But the replacement⁹ Supreme¹⁰ Court has ruled the dismissals of their predecessors¹¹ to be constitutional.

After his selection by parliament, the new prime minister immediately freed the ousted¹² judges, who had been under house arrest for more than four months.

1 almighty   

adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的

参考例句：

• Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
• It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

2 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

7 formulated   

v.构想出( formulate的过去式和过去分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示

参考例句：

• He claims that the writer never consciously formulated his own theoretical position. 他声称该作家从未有意识地阐明他自己的理论见解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This idea can be formulated in two different ways. 这个意思可以有两种说法。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

9 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

10 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

11 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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。