VOA标准英语2009年-Rival Palestinian Factions Meet in Cairo to Hea

Rival Palestinian factions¹ Fatah and Hamas are holding talks aimed at healing their divisions and creating a new unity² government. Delegations³ from the two factions met at the Cairo office of Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who has been leading mediation⁴ efforts.
　
Fatah's Ahmed Qurei (l) and Hamas' Mussa Abu Marzug speak during their meeting in Cairo, 26 Feb 2009

The rivals are hoping to bury the hatchet⁵, after months of bitter feuding⁷, as Suleiman brings them face-to-face to iron out long-standing differences.

The ultimate goal of reconciliation⁸ talks between the main Fatah and Hamas factions is to agree on a national unity government acceptable to the international community. Most international donors⁹ are unwilling¹⁰ to help rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip, so long as Hamas controls the territory.

General Suleiman opened the meeting with tough words, warning the Palestinians that the time has come to end their feud⁶ and come together.

He says that success is the only option and a big step has already been taken to end divisions. The issue, he says, is neither difficult nor impossible. Palestinians must use their free will, and act, he argues, to achieve national goals, rather than being pawns¹¹ in regional power games. You, he warned them, are responsible for a people ... and it is their right to live in peace, security, and prosperity.

At stake are billions of dollars of reconstruction¹² money that are expected to be pledged at a Gaza donors' meeting Sunday in Egypt's Sinai resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Twelve Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, are attending the reconciliation talks. Fatah and Hamas have been at each others' throats, since Hamas seized power in Gaza in June of 2007.

Gaza's Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, told participants at the talks that both sides had agreed to take steps, including the release of prisoners, to improve the atmosphere between them.

Both sides, he says, have agreed to respect a truce¹³ in the media, as they begin a national dialogue, today, and have pledged to stop all arrests and free all prisoners being held, to improve the atmosphere.

Zahar told journalists that Fatah had released 80 Hamas members it was holding on the West Bank, but is still holding 300 others. Hamas reportedly freed an undisclosed number of Fatah members it was holding under house arrest in Gaza.

The top Fatah leader in the Palestinian parliament, Azzam al-Ahmed, told the conference that both sides had a "real desire" to settle their disputes.

He admits that there were excesses on both sides in Gaza and on the West Bank, and he says that the matter should be put to rest so that no outside party can exploit our divisions ... We need to address these problems, once and for all, he insists, to restore unity and cohesion¹⁴ in the Palestinian camp.

Egyptian officials stressed that reconciliation talks are focusing on forming an interim¹⁵ Palestinian government, as well as holding presidential and parliamentary elections, and restructuring of Palestinian security forces to suit both sides.

1 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

4 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。

5 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

6 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

7 feuding   

vi.长期不和（feud的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Riccardo and Cafiero had been feuding so openly that the whole town knew about it. 里卡多和卡菲埃罗一直公开地闹别扭，全城的人都知道此事。 来自辞典例句
• The two families have been feuding with each other for many generations. 这两个家族有好多代的世仇了。 来自互联网

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

11 pawns   

n.（国际象棋中的）兵( pawn的名词复数 )；卒；被人利用的人；小卒v.典当，抵押( pawn的第三人称单数 )；以（某事物）担保

参考例句：

• The hostages are being used as political pawns. 人质正被用作政治卒子。
• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

13 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

14 cohesion   

n.团结，凝结力

参考例句：

• I had to bring some cohesion into the company.我得使整个公司恢复凝聚力。
• The power of culture is deeply rooted in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of a nation. 文化的力量，深深熔铸在民族的生命力、创造力和凝聚力之中。

15 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。