VOA标准英语2014--Assad Focuses on Fighting Terrorism, Not Power-Sharing, at Talks

Assad Focuses on Fighting Terrorism, Not Power-Sharing, at Talks

WASHINGTON — Syrian peace talks are scheduled to start Wednesday in Switzerland, nearly three years after the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The government in Damascus is rejecting calls that it share power, saying these talks should be about fighting terrorism.

Assad says continuing violence within the opposition¹, including extremist fighters linked to al-Qaida, shows why talks should focus on fighting terrorism.

He told Syrian state television that negotiations² also should restrain countries that he says support terrorists.

''The Geneva conference must lead to clear results regarding the fight against terrorism in Syria. More specifically, putting pressure on the countries supporting terrorism in Syria by sending fighters, sending money to terrorists organizations, sending weapons," said Assad.

But the Western governments backing Assad's opponents say these talks are meant to end the fighting by creating a transitional government to replace him.

By keeping the terrorism issue ahead of political power-sharing, Assad is seeking a broader context for the conflict, said American University professor Hillary Mann Leverett.

"It is the center of gravity for all of the dynamics³ in the Middle East. Bashar al-Assad, the current president, and his father have made the most of that. And if they are welcome to the table in Geneva, they will come and they will turn it and use it to again make Syria central, central in whatever the major dynamic push is. And right now for Americans that's terrorism," she said.

Especially as more American jihadists are reportedly taking part in the fight.

"And now here the FBI and the CIA are very concerned about those Americans returning to the United States battle-hardened and trained by terrorists. That's something the Assad government will make a lot of," she said.

But the battle within the opposition, involving groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] may unite more moderate rebels, said U.S. Institute of Peace analyst⁴ Steve Heydemann.

"There was enormous disdain⁵ and unhappiness about how the ISIS battalions⁶ were operating in Syria. They were seen as a growing threat to the objectives of the revolution. They were seen as a threat to the coherence⁸ and the security of the armed opposition itself. And so the armed opposition is now united against them," he said.

This may also help a divided political opposition that Leverett said is undercut by Assad's populist appeal to defending Syria against foreign terrorists.

"You have an opposition there that is not able to cohere⁷ because of differences among it. And it's really radical⁹. It has been from the beginning. Assad is very adept¹⁰ at going through that, presenting himself as not just a strong leader, but as the secular¹¹ front, as a leader who can come through crises," said Leverett.

 

These first talks are set to open with a meeting of foreign ministers before Syrian government and opposition delegates join United Nations and Arab League mediator¹² Lakhdar Brahimi.

1 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。

2 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。

3 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

6 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 cohere   

vt.附着，连贯，一致

参考例句：

• The adornments do not cohere with the basic design.装饰物与设计的基调不协调。
• When you squeeze a handful of snow,the flakes cohere to make a snowball.你把一团雪捏紧，雪就黏合成雪球。

8 coherence   

n.紧凑；连贯；一致性

参考例句：

• There was no coherence between the first and the second half of the film.这部电影的前半部和后半部没有连贯性。
• Environmental education is intended to give these topics more coherence.环境教育的目的是使这些课题更加息息相关。

9 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

10 adept   

adj.老练的，精通的

参考例句：

• When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
• He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。

11 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

12 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。