VOA标准英语2009年-UN Security Council Welcomes Darfur Goodwill Ag

The United Nations Security Council has welcomed the signing of an agreement between Sudan's government and the country's main rebel group to pursue a negotiated settlement to the Darfur conflict. But the agreement, signed on Tuesday in Qatar, is not a cease-fire.
　
Justice and Equality Movement member Jibril Ibrahim (R)and Sudanese gov. rep. Amin Hassan Omar (L) shake hands in Doha on 17 Feb 2009

Security Council President Ambassador Yukio Takasu of Japan told reporters that the council commends the talks in Doha as a "step in the right direction," but said the fighting must stop for the peace process to work.

"We do not want to see the talking while fighting. So therefore, we expressed very strong hope that all parties concerned would make the process more inclusive and comprehensive in terms of participation¹, and also comprehensive in terms of substance - it means that a framework agreement for comprehensive peace agreement as soon as possible," he said.
　
Susan Rice, the new US Ambassador to the United Nations, speaks during her first official press briefing at UN headquarters in New York, 26 Jan. 2009

U.S. envoy² Susan Rice said all of the rebel groups will need to be engaged if there is to be a sustained process that will lead to lasting³ peace.

When asked by reporters whether she sees any linkage⁴ between Sudan's signing of the Doha agreement and the possibility of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir for atrocities⁵ in Darfur, Rice said she does not see any connection.

"I see no linkage. The United States' position has been, and remains⁶, that we see no circumstances or other actions to date that would change our judgment⁷ at this point that an Article 16 deferral⁹ is unwarranted," she said.

Under Article 16 of the treaty that established the court, the U.N. Security Council has the power to defer⁸ charges for up to one year, renewable indefinitely, in situations where it sees fit.
　
Omar al-Bashir (file photo)

The International Criminal Court has not issued a decision on whether it will grant its chief prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant for President Bashir on 10 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. But a decision could come as early as this week.

Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, accused the United States of wanting regime change in his country - something he said will never happen. He predicted the Doha talks would lead to a final settlement of the Darfur conflict that would silence Khartoum's critics.

He said the Darfur issue could be resolved in as little as three months.

The United Nations says more than 200,000 people have died since Darfur rebels took up arms against the government in 2003. Another 2.7 million people have fled their homes.

Sudan says only 10,000 people have died as a result of the conflict.

1 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

4 linkage   

n.连接；环节

参考例句：

• In their monographic treatment of linkage,they have emphasized this especially.他们在论连锁的专题文章中特别强调了这点。
• Occasionally,problems with block inheritance or linkage are encountered.有时会遇到区段遗传或连锁问题。

5 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 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。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。

9 deferral   

n.延期，缓役

参考例句：

• It also calls for the deferral of a share of bonuses. 协议还要求一部分奖金延期发放。 来自互联网
• Even implementing the interest-deferral scheme for homeowners has proved inconveniently tricky. 甚至是对房主实行的推迟利息的方案，结果证明也是极不方便的。 来自互联网