巴基斯坦要求中央银行解决其与印度的争端

Pakistan Asks World Bank to Resolve Dispute With India

巴基斯坦要求中央银行解决其与印度的争端

 

Pakistan says it will ask the World Bank to resolve a dispute over construction of a controversial dam in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. The decision comes after the two rival nations failed to settle their differences in face-to-face talks.

 

Announcing the decision at news conference in Islamabad Tuesday, Foreign Ministry¹ spokesman Masood Khan blamed India for the failure of talks meant to resolve the dispute over the Baglihar dam.

 

He says Pakistan is seeking arbitration² under the terms of a bilateral³ agreement that the World Bank brokered⁴ in 1960 on the sharing of river water.

Mr. Khan says Indian officials were never willing to resolve the differences, and prolonged the discussions only to gain time to complete their project.

 

Mr. Khan: It's unfortunate that we have to go to the World Bank. We could have resolved this issue here given the technical expertise⁵. What we lacked here was a positive response from India.

 

India is building the one-billion-dollar hydroelectric dam on the Chenab River, which flows from the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir into Pakistan.

 

Islamabad says the project violates the bilateral Indus Water Treaty, and will deprive Pakistan's main agricultural province, the Punjab, of water for irrigation. India dismisses these concerns, saying the dam will not disrupt the flow of water.

 

Pakistani spokesman Khan also warns the disagreement could hurt efforts to establish a permanent peace between India and Pakistan through an on-going dialogue.

 

Khan: It's not a good omen⁶, I must say. And it is casting a shadow over the composite dialogue process. It was perhaps the most durable⁷ confidence-building measure between the two countries.

 

The wide-ranging peace dialogue between India and Pakistan is aimed to settling all outstanding issues, including their bitter dispute over Kashmir. The divided region is at the center of tensions, and has caused two of the three wars between the two countries.

 

Ayaz Gul, for VOA news, Islamabad.

 

注释：

dispute [dis5pju:t] n. 争论

resolve [ri5zClv] vt. 解决

arbitration [7B:bi5treiFEn] n. 裁决

prolong [prE5lCN] vt. 延长

hydroelectric [5haidrEi5lektrik] adj. 水气电力的

durable [5djuErEbl] adj. 持久的

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

3 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

4 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

5 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

6 omen   

n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示

参考例句：

• The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
• Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？

7 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。