VOA慢速英语--阿富汗和谈被卡在美国基地问题上

Afghanistan Peace Talks Stuck on Issue of US Bases

A former Afghan Taliban official is reporting little progress in negotiations² between the Taliban and the United States.

The two sides are attempting to reach a political settlement to end the war in Afghanistan.

Hopes for peace talks increased in June. That was when the militant³ group agreed to a ceasefire at the end of Ramadan, Islam’s holy month.

But recently, Taliban forces launched offensives and put Afghan security forces under severe pressure.

The former Taliban official, Waheed Muzhda, is in Kabul, but has been in contact with Taliban leaders. He said the negotiations are stuck over the issue of U.S. military bases in the country.

The “…U.S. wants the Taliban to accept at least two military bases: Bagram and Shorabak. The Taliban are not willing to accept it,” the former official said.

The Bagram air base is the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan. Shorabak is a base in Helmand province.

Muzhda added that the Taliban leadership is unwilling⁴ to accept more than a set number of troops required to secure the U.S. diplomatic mission in Afghanistan.

Negotiation¹ efforts just beginning

People in Washington spoke⁵ to VOA about the negotiations. They did not want to be identified in this report. But they did say that keeping military bases in Afghanistan was very important to the U.S. government.

Christopher Kolenda is a retired⁶ colonel and former advisor⁷ to the U.S. Defense⁸ Department. He took part in informal talks with the Taliban in Qatar this year.

Kolenda told VOA that the group considers U.S. combat troops an occupying force and wants them out of Afghanistan. He went on to say that the main reason that the Taliban carries out its war “is the occupation.” He added that the group says it is fighting to oust⁹ U.S. troops from the country.

Kolenda said the Taliban did show a willingness to let foreign troops train Afghan forces with a condition. He said it would accept foreign troops if a new government, formed after a negotiated settlement, agreed to their presence. Such a government would likely include Taliban representatives.

In July, U.S. State Department official Alice Wells met with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar’s capital. The meeting was believed to be an answer to the Taliban’s demands that the group meet directly with the United States, not the Afghan government in Kabul.

Muzhda said that the Taliban accepts 80 percent or more of Afghanistan’s constitution. But the group believes the document was formed under, what it calls, a U.S. occupation.

The Taliban has said that one of its goals is to establish Sharia, or Islamic law.

Khalilullah Safi is an Afghan peace activist¹⁰. Safi agrees that the Taliban largely accepts the Afghan constitution. He added that the increase in violence may have resulted from an opinion released by about 2,000 Muslim scholars. That ruling outlawed¹¹ suicide bombings.

Safi said the Taliban may have been trying to show that it was not affected¹² by the opinion.

Other observers say the Taliban is increasing attacks to improve its position before negotiations with the U.S.

Speaking of issues important to Taliban negotiators, Muzhda said the release of prisoners was an important issue to the group.

Reuters reports that Taliban officials are preparing a three-to-four member delegation¹³ for additional talks with the U.S. They reportedly want prisoners released to “meet again for another great cause.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has offered the Taliban unconditional¹⁴ negotiations at any time and in any place.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

mission – n. a group of people sent to a foreign country for a specific reason

scholar – n. someone who has completed studies in a special field

informal – adj. marked by the lack of ceremony; not requiring serious behavior

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 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 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 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。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

10 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

11 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

14 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。