VOA标准英语2009年-Libyans Defend Megrahi Welcome

Years of careful negotiation¹ to repair relations between Libya and its former adversaries², Britain and the United States, have threatened to unravel³ because of the welcome home given to convicted Lockerbie bomber⁴, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. The issue was a key reason many Western dignitaries steered⁵ clear of Libyan national celebrations, this week. But, many people in Libya are baffled by the reaction.
　
In this image grab taken from a newscast on Libya's official television, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi (L) welcomes freed Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi (R) in Tripoli, 21 Aug 2009

Relatives outside Megrahi's home help unpack⁶ a truck filled with food for the many people who come here to pay their respects.

For them, there is no question that Megrahi's return is a blessing⁷, for the simple reason that they believe he is innocent.

It is a widely held view here, but still a sensitive issue, which police officers make clear as the ex-prisoner's brother-in-law attempts to talk to VOA.

"Okay, they didn't want to make (voices of police in background) ... this is the security instruction unfortunately. They didn't like [me] to make any interview," he said.

Many still angry

The American and British governments have been furious about what many consider the hero's welcome given the former Libyan intelligence agent - the only person convicted of the 1988 bombing of a PanAm jumbo jet.

So, too, have many of the relatives of those killed. For them, it was understood that Megrahi would spend the rest of his life in prison. Some expressed shock about Scotland's decision to let the cancer patient go home to die. The feeling turned to disgust when crowd of Libyans celebrated⁸ his arrival at the airport. Westerners likened it to the joy expressed by some people in the Arab world because of the September 11 terror attacks.

Misunderstanding?

Libyan officials argue that the welcome has been grossly misunderstood. Abdul Majeed el-Dursi, head of Libya's foreign media corporation, says the case against Megrahi was weak and argues that he stood trial to clear his name and that of his country, which had been slapped with sanctions because of Lockerbie.

"But he volunteered to go [to trial] and to save his country the bitterness of the sanctions, which the Libyan people paid a very, very, very high price for," said el-Dursi. "We greet him for that and we think he's a courageous⁹ man and he did the right thing. "

El-Dursi and others point to a Scottish court opinion that there may have been a miscarriage¹⁰ of justice in Megrahi's case. And, although Libya had a history of backing terrorists, there were other suspects. Top on the list had been Iran, still mourning the passengers on a civilian¹¹ airplane shot down by the U.S. Navy, earlier that year.

Sympathy for Lockerbie victims

El-Dursi and others stress their sympathy for the victims of the Lockerbie bombing. Megrahi's father told the Asharq Al-Awsa newspaper recently that, if there was proof his son had committed so horrible a crime, he would kill him, himself.

In a small mosque¹² in Tripoli's old city, the imam echoes the views of many when he says the return of Megrahi is a blessing.

He adds it is especially good as it coincides with celebrations of the Libyan revolution and the holy month of Ramadan.

The Scottish decision to release Megrahi on compassionate¹³ grounds, while angering many in the West, is taken at face value here in Libya - and with gratitude¹⁴.

1 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

2 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

3 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

4 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

5 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

7 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

8 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

9 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

10 miscarriage   

n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产

参考例句：

• The miscarriage of our plans was a great blow.计划的失败给我们以巨大的打击。
• Women who smoke are more to have a miscarriage.女性吸烟者更容易流产。

11 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

12 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

13 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

14 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。