VOA标准英语2008年-Malaysia Extends Philippine Peacekeeping Missio

Malaysia agreed to extend a mandate¹ to keep its peacekeepers in the volatile² southern Philippines, where they will continue to monitor a shaky cease-fire between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more.

Malaysia agreed Thursday to keep its peace monitors in the war-torn southern Philippine island, Mindanao, for another three months, following appeals from the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The announcement came after officials from the Philippine government and the MILF met in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, for the first time since fighting broke out, earlier this month.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabala told VOA the group welcomes the extension.

"Anything that would improve the effort toward peace, contribute toward peace, will be a welcome development. It will help a lot in our effort to pursue the peaceful resolution of the Mindanao problem," he said.

More than 40 people have died and more than 360,000 have been displaced after several renegade MILF commanders attacked several villages in the southern Philippine island, Mindanao.

The attacks followed the Philippine Supreme³ Court's decision to issue a temporary restraining order against the signing of a crucial territorial⁴ agreement that would have given the MILF an expanded Muslim autonomous⁵ region.

Thursday, the government announced aid had been stepped up to feed and shelter the hundreds of thousands left homeless by the fighting.

The United Nations World Food Program says it is beefing up its food assistance with nearly 1,000 tons of rice and is trying to get food to places quickly and where it is most needed.

The MILF and the government have been negotiating, on and off, since 1997 on ways to give Muslims more self rule in the south.

Following the recent fighting - the worse seen in Mindanao in years - the government said it would need to review the peace agreement.

But Eid Kabala says there is still hope for the two sides to return to the negotiating table.
"We are still confident. And, right now the peace talks have yet to be broken down - not yet," he said.

The peace talks between the government and the MILF have been brokered⁶ by Malaysia, which heads the cease-fire monitors, which include both military and nonmilitary personnel from Japan, Libya and Brunei.

The Philippines is a predominately Roman Catholic. About five percent of the people are Muslim, most of them living in the south.

1 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

2 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

3 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。

4 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

5 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

6 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白