2006年VOA标准英语-Britain Calls for More Peacekeepers in Dar

By Michael Drudge¹
London
25 January 2006

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told parliament the international community is failing to support the people of Sudan's war-ravaged western Darfur region.  Mr. Blair says an African peacekeeping force needs more troops and money.

Tony Blair  
  
Prime Minister Blair has faced new questions about the Darfur crisis during his weekly appearance in parliament.

"I think the international community is failing the people in Darfur, which is why it is so important that we take the measures that the development secretary, indeed the government, have been pressing for," he said.  "And those measures have got to include not just the immediate² humanitarian³ help, but also to make sure that the African Union peacekeeping force comes up to its full strength."

Mr. Blair says a number of steps need to taken to bring peace to Darfur, but he defends British policy on the issue.

"The only way that the situation in Darfur is going to improve is when there are sufficient numbers of peacekeeping forces on the ground to keep the combatants apart, when the process of dialogue and peace takes place, which we have been calling for, and obviously, where the measures are in place to improve humanitarian help," he added.  "So we have to do more, but we are doing more and I would just point out we as the British government have been leading in this area and will continue to do so."

The United Nations has called the Darfur conflict the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

The U.N. says two million people have fled their homes and more than 180,000 have been killed in Darfur in two-and-one-half years of fighting between separatist rebels and government-backed militias⁴.

The African Union has sent about 7,000 peacekeeping troops and security personnel to patrol a region bigger than France.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is calling for a major new international effort to pacify⁵ Darfur.  In a newspaper commentary Mr. Annan says the U.N. Security Council has the responsibility to act to stop genocide, ethnic⁶ cleansing⁷, and war crimes.  He also calls for more pressure on the rebels and the government to observe a ceasefire and undertake urgent peace talks.

1 drudge   

n.劳碌的人；v.做苦工，操劳

参考例句：

• I feel like a real drudge--I've done nothing but clean all day!我觉得自己像个做苦工的--整天都在做清洁工作！
• I'm a poor,miserable,forlorn drudge;I shall only drag you down with me.我是一个贫穷，倒运，走投无路的苦力，只会拖累你。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 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。

4 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

5 pacify   

vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰

参考例句：

• He tried to pacify the protesters with promises of reform.他试图以改革的承诺安抚抗议者。
• He tried to pacify his creditors by repaying part of the money.他为安抚债权人偿还了部分借款。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。