VOA常速英语2008年-African Leaders Discuss Regional Cooperation Wi

By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
16 April 2008

Leaders from African Union and U.N. Security Council member states are meeting in New York to discuss ways they can enhance cooperation in the fields of peace and security. From United Nations headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the high-level meeting.

Wednesday's meeting was convened¹ by South Africa, which holds the Security Council's rotating presidency² this month. In opening remarks, President Thabo Mbeki said the availability of resources remains³ the most serious constraint⁴ limiting Africa's ability to assist in peacekeeping and resolving its own conflicts.

"The issue of funding of regional peacekeeping operations is central to defining and streamlining the relationship between the U.N. and AU," Mbeki said.

He welcomed a proposal from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to establish a panel of distinguished⁵ persons from the U.N., AU and other relevant actors, to consider ways to finance and support peacekeeping missions undertaken by regional organizations.

Secretary-General Ban attended the meeting and told participants that the United Nations and African Union must step up efforts to bring peace and stability to Darfur and Somalia. He said the partnership⁶ between the African Union and United Nations on this front is crucial.

"Preventing and resolving conflict peacefully must remain high on the shared agenda of the AU and the U.N.," Ban Ki-moon said.

In this context, he also welcomed the announcement of the new government in Kenya, and urged all sides to stay committed to resolving the longer-term causes of recent post-election unrest.

The debate focused on ways to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the areas of conflict prevention, resolution and management. A Security Council resolution is expected at the end of the day-long meeting addressing the issue of resources for the African Union when it carries out the work of the Security Council in places such as Somalia and Darfur.

Twenty-one African nations are attending Wednesday's meeting, as well as representatives from the 15 member states of the U.N. Security Council. Among those present were the presidents of South Africa, Tanzania, Ivory Coast and the DRC, and the Prime Ministers of Britain, Italy and Ethiopia.

1 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

2 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。

3 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。

4 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

5 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。