VOA标准英语2010年-Britain Hosts Meeting on Yemen With Un

International focus has again shifted to Yemen after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up an American airliner¹ on Christmas Day.

Sonja Pace | London 27 January 2010

Britain is hosting a one-day meeting on Yemen with ministers and senior officials from Yemen, Europe, the Gulf² states and others.  The underlying³ focus of the gathering⁴ is the issue of terrorism.

Going into the meeting, there was much talk about what the international community could do to support economic and social development, and political stability in Yemen.

But the underlying focus is how to deal with the rising threat of extremism and al-Qaida linked terrorists operating from Yemen and recruiting others to carry out attacks.

Yemen has been a source of concern since the suicide bombing of the U.S. Navy destroyer Cole in October 2000, while it was docked at the Yemeni port of Aden.  Seventeen American sailors were killed in the al-Qaida organized attack.

International focus has again shifted to Yemen after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up an American airliner on Christmas Day.  He reportedly received the explosives and his orders from al-Qaida linked terrorists in Yemen.

Yemeni Foreign Minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, 27 Jan 2010

Speaking at London's Chatham House research center, Yemen Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdallah al-Qirbi said a comprehensive assistance program is vital to his country. 

"Yemen's capabilities⁶ to fight radicalization and this is part and parcel actually of the development program," he said.

But, the minister said Yemen's sovereignty is paramount⁷. "There should be a clear declaration that this meeting is to support Yemen's unity⁵ and Yemen's stability," he said.

The minister warned that any action by the international community must not be seen as an attempt to interfere⁸ in Yemen's internal affairs. 

Director of the Yemen Forum⁹ at Chatham House, Ginny Hill says the London conference should address the many problems facing Yemen.

"I think any initiatives that are taken on counter-terrorism at the London meeting need to be embedded¹⁰ in a much broader strategy which includes the political issues, the economic issues, and the broader security issues that currently are a problem for Yemen," said Hill.

Analysts¹¹ say that given the anti-Western and particularly anti-American sentiment in Yemen, the West must tread lightly.  To do otherwise, they say, will only boost support for the extremists. 

1 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 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。

6 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

8 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

9 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。

10 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。