VOA标准英语2011--Foreign Powers Press for Sudan Talks

The United States, Norway and Britain have called for talks to resume in Sudan so that plans can move ahead for the south's independence later this year.
The southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) called off talks with the Khartoum-based government on Saturday. It said the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), based in the north, has destabilized the south by arming rebel groups.
But the Sudan Troika, which is made up of the U.S., Norway, and Britain, said Tuesday it's critical that talks go ahead. The foreign powers said both sides should take steps against alleged¹ actions that destabilize each other's governments and territories.
Khalid al Mubarak is a spokesperson for the Sudanese embassy in London. He says the claims made by the SPLM against the north are unfounded.
"The collapse² of the south is not in the interest of the north," said al Mubarak. "If the south collapses³, if it becomes a failed state before the declaration of independence, the north will pay the price in displaced people, in instability. The international community will also pay the price. So nobody is interested in that."
Southern Sudanese voted earlier this year for south Sudan to secede⁴ and form its own country. The split is set to take place in July.
But there are still negotiations⁵ that must take place, with two big issues being border demarcation and how to share oil revenues.
Southern Sudan's ruling party says it has documents to prove that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's government supplied weapons to militias⁶ in the south.
But al Mubarak says there is no evidence of northern interference in the south. Southern politicians, he says, are trying to blame the north for their own internal problems.
"What we have seen so far is provocation⁷ and a desire to export the problems of the south to the north," added al Mubarak.
Hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks in the south and along the border with the north.
Fouad Hikmat, a Sudan advisor⁸ with the International Crisis Group, says the situation is worrying.
"The only way forward is to sit on the table and negotiate the way forward," said Hikmat.
He says neither the north nor the south, which were at civil war for over two decades until 2005, want a return to that level of violence.
"Both of them should recognize the graveness of the issues," added Hikmat. "This is very, very serious. And I don't think the SPLM wants to get into a big fight because they have got more challenges preparing their country to be independent in a couple of months. And the NCP have got very serious issues also to do with the north."
99 percent of southern Sudanese voted in favor of independence during the January referendum.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

4 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。

5 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。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

8 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。