VOA标准英语2008年-Skepticism Surrounds Senegalese President's Med

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
10 June 2008

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade¹ met with envoys² from the Islamist group Hamas and the more secular³ Palestinian movement Fatah in an attempt to lay the groundwork for eventual⁴ peace with Israel. But at least one analyst⁵ is skeptical⁶ about Mr. Wade's bold statements about his mediation⁷ attempt for peace in the Middle East. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Dakar.
　

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade

In his role as chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, met in recent days with delegates from Hamas and Fatah in Dakar.

The Senegalese president also called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, who ended more than 40 years of Fatah's unchallenged leadership of the Palestinian people with parliamentary victories in 2006. Hamas fighters then wrested⁸ power from Fatah in the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

At an OIC conference in March in Dakar, Mr. Wade said he would make efforts to end the Middle East conflict his number-one priority.

An editorial on the popular English-language Arab News Web site pointed⁹ to these meetings as well as recent comments by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as a sign of movement toward peace.

But the director of advocacy at the U.S.-headquartered Open Society Institute, analyst Ibrahima Kane, says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is much too complex for Mr. Wade to make a real impact.

"It has political, social, cultural even historical aspects and if you do not know these different dimensions, it will be really, really, very difficult to sort it out. Even the Americans, who are very close allies of the Israelis, and who are trying to really put all their power into the discussion are not succeeding," said Kane. "So I am really doubtful that a small country like Senegal with a controversial president will succeed where the other powerful countries have failed."

Mr. Wade has gained notoriety recently when he said the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization should be scrapped¹⁰ for, in his words, treating Africans like beggars.

Kane says the Senegalese president should focus on his country's own problems, such as the more than two-decade insurgency¹¹ in the Casamance region and food security.

He says if Mr. Wade wants to mediate¹² outside his country, it should be in Africa.

"Even Africa has many, many complex, difficult problems that necessitate¹³ the involvement of the government of Senegal, like the current situation in Somalia. All of Zimbabwe is falling apart," said Kane. "There are many, many. Chad is a problem. Chad, Wade tried to sort out the problem but failed. So I think our president needs to learn lessons before getting involved in another big, big problem, which will eventually require a lot of resources, which Senegal does not have actually."

Mr. Wade has also tried to help with mediation efforts in Zimbabwe since last year, and prior to that in divided Ivory Coast, without much success.

Opposition¹⁴ activists¹⁵ in Senegal were disappointed in the recent Islamic summit, saying it brought some attention to Dakar and a little prestige to the president, but not much needed aid for other Senegalese.

1 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

2 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。

3 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

4 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

7 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

8 wrested   

（用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去…

参考例句：

• The usurper wrested the power from the king. 篡位者从国王手里夺取了权力。
• But now it was all wrested from him. 可是现在，他却被剥夺了这一切。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

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 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

13 necessitate   

v.使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Your proposal would necessitate changing our plans.你的提议可能使我们的计划必须变更。
• The conversion will necessitate the complete rebuilding of the interior.转变就必需完善内部重建。

14 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。

15 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》