VOA标准英语2009年-UN Envoy to Burma Calls for 'Immediate Rel

The U.N.'s Special Advisor¹ on Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, says he is "extremely disappointed" with the outcome of opposition² leader Aung San Suu Kyi's trial and called on Burmese authorities to release her immediately. After the verdict was announced on Tuesday, Gambari said he would continue to work for her freedom as well as that of hundreds of other Burmese political prisoners.
　
Burma's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Ibrahim Gambari, U.N. special envoy³ to Burma (2008 file photo)

The verdict from the Burmese court was an additional three years in prison for democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. But a short time later, the government announced that the country's leader, Senior General Than Shwe, had ordered the sentence commuted⁴ to 1 1/2 years under house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi has already spent 14 of the last 20 years in detention⁵, mostly under house arrest.

In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his "deep disappointment" with the verdict and said he "strongly deplores⁶" the decision.

His Special Advisor on Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, told VOA in an exclusive interview that he too is extremely disappointed.

"We were hoping that (a) that the trial should not have commenced, three, that it would be discontinued and all charges dropped, and four, that she would be found 'not guilty'. All of these did not happen, so that's why we are extremely disappointed," he said.

Gambari said that during the secretary-general's visit last month to Burma, which is also known as Myanmar, Mr. Ban met with the country's senior leadership and asked them to free Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners as well as take steps to enhance the political process leading to next year's elections as a gesture of their credibility to the international community.

"We have always offered this. If they were to help us help them, then the secretary-general would be in a position to go all out on the sanctions issue, humanitarian⁷ support, even reconstruction⁸ and development. It is a pity they did not follow our advice," he said.

The special envoy, who has made several trips to Burma, said that Tuesday's development is a setback⁹. "We are pretty much back to what the situation was before the trial, where she is still under house arrest - although the conditions of her detention, house arrest, have been eased somewhat," he said.

Those new conditions include Aung San Suu Kyi being able to receive necessary medical treatment, to have guests visit her with permission from authorities, and to have the right to view two Burmese television stations (Myawaddy and MRTV) as well as read Burmese newspapers.

Gambari said the verdict can be appealed, and he is hopeful that Aung San Suu Kyi will be released unconditionally¹⁰ without further delay, so she can join the political process. "Of course, now we have appeal processes are still there. The prospect¹¹ of amnesty is still not closed. We hope this will be exercised," he said.

The U.N. envoy said he would not give up on any fronts. "These are all part of the process of engagement with them, with the view of delivering on what is the objective - which is democratization of Myanmar and respect for human rights, and in effect restoring Myanmar to respectability as a member of the international community," he said.

Ibrahim Gambari said he is willing to return to Burma if the secretary-general asks him to, saying this is an on-going process.

1 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

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 commuted   

通勤( commute的过去式和过去分词 )； 减（刑）； 代偿

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment. 他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• The death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment. 死刑可能減为无期徒刑。

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

6 deplores   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He often deplores his past sins. 他经常痛悔自己过去的罪恶。 来自辞典例句
• Regretting the lack of spontaneity and real sensuousness in other contemporary poets, he deplores in Tennyson. 他对于和他同时代的诗人缺乏自发性和真实的敏感，感到惋惜，他对坦尼森感到悲痛。 来自辞典例句

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 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。

9 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

10 unconditionally   

adv.无条件地

参考例句：

• All foreign troops must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. 所有外国军队必须立即无条件地撤出。
• It makes things very awkward to have your girls going back unconditionally just now! 你们现在是无条件上工，真糟糕！ 来自子夜部分

11 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。