VOA标准英语2009-US Embassy in Sudan Warns of Terror Threat

The U.S. embassy in Sudan is warning of a threat by Islamist extremists to attack the Sudanese government as well as "Western interests."

A statement on the U.S. embassy website warned that a post on a radical¹ Islamist website threatened an attack on the Sudanese government. It indicated the threat is related to the recent death of a suspected Islamic extremist.

The statement provided few details of the threat, but warned that calls for violence against the government as well as "Western interests" could also be made during prayers on Friday, and urged Americans in Sudan to exercise caution.

US terrorism list

Sudan has been on the U.S. government's list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1993. Sudanese officials have been pushing Washington to remove Sudan from the list in recent years, as the country has cooperated in sharing intelligence as part of the war on terror. The United States says terrorists remain active in the country.

Meanwhile, political leaders from Sudan's two main parties, the northern National Congress Party and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement, have been meeting in Washington to discuss the fragile 2005 peace agreement, with the mediation² of the U.S. envoy³ to Sudan, Scott Gration.

Tuesday, representatives of 20 countries, as well as a dozen international organizations held a forum⁴ on the agreement.

Avoid another war
　
US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg (File)

American Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg highlighted the importance of avoiding a return to the 22-year north-south war, which killed an estimated 1.5 million people.

"That legacy⁵ of loss provides a reminder⁶ of the promise that this agreement represents, but also its stakes for the future as we try to make sure that this tragedy does not happen again. It is a young peace and it is much younger than the fight that it ended, but we have to make sure that it becomes a much more long-lived one," he said.

Steinberg noted⁷ that the agreement will soon face a number of crucial tests, including national elections set for February.

"But we also recognize that we are facing some very important milestones⁸ in the near future, which will determine the path of the future. And they will set the foundation, for better or for worse, of the very future of Sudan and for the region as a whole. And therefore the stakes are enormous and the importance of really focusing our efforts now in making sure that these processes as they go forward are fair, open, transparent⁹, and are consistent with the spirit that brought about the CPA in the first place," he added.

Elections postponed¹⁰

Elections had originally been set for this July, but were postponed due to lack of preparations. But many observers worry continued disputes between the two sides will prevent a fair poll from being organized. The south is to vote on whether to secede¹¹ from the north in a 2011 referendum.

The participants at the forum also stressed the importance of abiding¹² by an arbitration¹³ court's decision on the boundaries of the disputed Abyei area. The area, along the north-south border, contains much of Sudan's oil, the most important contributor to the wealth of both north and south Sudan.

The area has been the source of some of the greatest instability since the 2005 agreement, including clashes last year that displaced 50,000 people and razed¹⁴ much of Abyei town to the ground. The court, based in the Hague, is expected to deliver its decision next month.

1 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

2 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。

3 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。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

9 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

10 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

11 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

12 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

13 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

14 razed   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The village was razed to the ground . 这座村庄被夷为平地。
• Many villages were razed to the ground. 许多村子被夷为平地。 来自《简明英汉词典》