VOA标准英语2009年-UN Security Council Takes Step Toward Peacekeep

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution paving the way for establishing a U.N. peacekeeping force in Somalia, but delayed any decision for six months so it can assess the situation in the country.
　
U.N. Security Council

Resolution 1863 renews for another six months the mandate¹ of the 2,000 troops from the African Union's AMISOM force and establishes the Security Council's intention to replace them with a U.N. peacekeeping operation. The council says it will decide by June 1 of this year.

Council members stressed that political, security and other factors in Somalia must improve before they will authorize² peacekeepers to deploy³ there, putting the burden squarely on the Somalis to implement⁴ the Djibouti Peace Agreement and end the fighting. French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert echoed this point.

"The approach in 1863 sends a strong political signal and a signal to act specifically in Somalia itself," he said. "The resolution sends a new realistic political signal that the Security Council is ready, as regards principle, to create a peacekeeping operation once the necessary conditions have been met. The resolution is very clear on this point."

The resolution also calls on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to submit a report to the council by mid-April on a possible peacekeeping operation. Previously⁵, the U.N. chief has said he has spoken to dozens of countries about possible troop contributions, but their responses have all been lukewarm or negative.
　
Ugandan soldiers of African Union peacekeeping mission to Somalia wait to board Algerian Air Force C-130 at Entebbe Airport, 9 Mar⁶ 2007

The text also seeks to strengthen the small African Union force, known as AMISOM, by providing additional logistical support through U.N. funding.

Somalia's ambassador Elmi Duale welcomed the resolution and urged the council to consider a peacekeeping force even if all elements are not in place, saying it could take "another 10 years" for that to happen.

"And if we wait until everything is in place, I believe we will miss the boat, and Somalia will be forever missed in the international arena⁷, the international community," he said.

The U.S. drafted text is the last official action in the Security Council by the outgoing Bush administration.

In farewell remarks, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he believes the United States needs the United Nations and the United Nations needs an active United States. On Tuesday, he is expected to be replaced by U.S. Ambassador-designate Susan Rice.

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 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

3 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

4 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

7 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。