VOA标准英语2010年-UN Chief, Security Council: Sudan Refe

The U.N. Secretary-General and members of the U.N. Security Council have expressed concern that resolution of the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region not be overlooked as international attention is focused on the upcoming North-South referendum.
In a special high-level session of the Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the 9 Jan referendum on self-determination in South Sudan is a critical moment for the Sudanese people. As all eyes focus on whether the vote will go forward as scheduled, however, he warned that the ongoing¹ conflict in Darfur must not be ignored.
"This brings me to the situation in Darfur, where there remains² an urgent need to reach a comprehensive and inclusive settlement," said Mr. Ban. He said there has been some progress on outstanding issues at negotiations³ in Doha, and he asked the Security Council to call for all parties to join the talks.
Mr. Ban also warned that renewed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and rebel groups are threatening the safety of innocent civilians⁴ and worsening an already dire⁵ humanitarian⁶ situation. "The disturbing implication of this fighting is that the parties have not yet decided⁷ to give up the military path."Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who participated in the meeting, expressed the United States' ongoing concerns. "We remain deeply concerned about Darfur. Violence is intensifying⁸; human rights violations⁹ continue; arms flow despite the embargo¹⁰; journalists and activists¹¹ are arrested, some merely for speaking to members of this Security Council; U.N. peacekeepers are kidnapped. This is all unacceptable."Secretary Clinton urged the parties to live up to their obligations and said the United States is ready to work with the Security Council to support peace efforts in Darfur. She also said the Obama administration would work toward normalizing relations with Sudan - including putting it on the path to ending sanctions - if it commits to a peaceful resolution of Darfur, and takes other steps toward peace and accountability. British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who chaired the meeting in his capacity as president of the council this month, also warned that attention must not shift away from Darfur because of the referendum.
"Much international attention is understandably focused on North-South issues in Sudan," said Hague. "But we must not lose sight of the situation in Darfur, where hundreds of thousands have suffered and died. We must work intensively with all parties involved towards a peaceful and inclusive political settlement, addressing the violence and insecurity, including by combating impunity¹² and supporting the peace talks in Doha."In a statement agreed to by the Security Council, the 15 members called on all rebel groups to join the Darfur peace process without further delay or preconditions, and for all parties to immediately cease hostilities¹³.
Sudan's Darfur region has been plagued by fighting since rebels took up arms in 2003, accusing the government of neglecting the area. The United Nations says more than 300,000 people have been killed in the violence and 2.7 million others displaced. Sudan's government puts the death toll¹⁴ much lower, at 10,000.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

6 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。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

9 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

10 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

13 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

14 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。