2006年VOA标准英语-Many Give Annan High Marks as UN Chief, Despite

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
13 December 2006

Kofi Annan is completing 10 years as U.N. secretary-general to applause and ovations¹ from his legions of fans. In a series of scripted events, he is reliving the glory days of his first term, when he enjoyed "rock star" status and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Correspondent Peter Heinlein, who covers the U.N. for VOA, filed this portrait of Mr. Annan the career U.N. officer who rose through the ranks to become the world body's first black African leader.

Kofi Annan (file photo)

Mr. Annan's final years as secretary-general were a struggle. At a news conference at the end of 2004, he described the year as "annus horribilis." His assessment² of 2005 was much the same. He was dogged by allegations of corruption³ in the U.N. purchasing system, sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers, the oil-for-food scandal, and charges that his son improperly⁴ used Mr. Annan's diplomatic privileges to win special tax breaks and U.N. contracts.

The secretary-general denied any wrongdoing, but the verdict of the Volcker Commission, which he appointed to investigate the oil-for-food operation, laid some of the blame at his feet.

Scholars and diplomats⁶ describe Mr. Annan's record as a mix of grand accomplishment⁷ and painful disappointments. He succeeded in raising the profile of the world body. But he was always haunted by his earlier failure, as U.N. peacekeeping chief, to prevent the genocide in Rwanda. More recently, Sudan's leaders flatly rejected his effort to persuade them to allow U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur to stop the carnage there.

Moreover, some of the reforms he promoted, such as creating a new Human Rights Council, in the end proved to be no improvement over the failed body it replaced.

In a recent informal chat with representatives of women's groups, he lamented⁸ the slow progress in preventing wars and alleviating⁹ human suffering.

"There [have] been more wars on my watch than in any other decade. Not that I had anything to do with the wars. From Kosovo to Afghanistan to Iraq, Darfur, Lebanon, Democratic Republic of Congo and some minor¹⁰ ones. But we've also ended some wars, from Sierra Leone to Liberia, Burundi, Angola, East Timor, and we can say there is some progress because today, objectively, there are fewer civil wars and fewer wars today than a decade ago. And yet the world seems really, really messy," he said.

Veteran U.N. watchers say despite his failures and his flaws, Mr. Annan made some valuable contributions. Professor Edward Luck of Columbia University says Mr. Annan succeeded in raising the world body's international profile.

"I think he'll be remembered as a visionary leader, one who had a lot of big ideas and a lot of bold initiatives. Certainly someone who would be the closest to being a household name for a secretary-general since Dag Hammarskjold. On the other hand, like Hammarskjold, he actually had a rather uneven¹¹ and at times rather rough tenure," he said.

Susan Myers, executive director of the New York office of the United Nations Foundation, calls Mr. Annan a "pioneer" in promoting new ideas, and in transforming the secretary-general's job from an administrator¹² to that of the world's diplomat⁵-in-chief.

"Kofi Annan has been the uberstatesman [great statesman] and diplomat. I think that the prestige he lends to issues, even when people disagreed with him, he's handled them with the highest degree of diplomacy¹³, and a certain sense of grace and humility¹⁴ that people really respect," she said.

Columbia's Edward Luck, however, argues that while Mr. Annan's reputation remains¹⁵ strong, the standing¹⁶ of the world body has suffered.

"One of the things I think is quite striking is that while his personal popularity, despite oil-for-food, remains quite high, in many ways as a global diplomatic rock star, on the other hand, the reputation of the organization has not kept up, and in some ways seems to have faded a bit, and that seems to be partly because of this gap between words and deeds and big ideas and the ability to fulfill¹⁷ them," he said.

So at the age of 67, Mr. Annan walks away from the U.N., with a Nobel Peace Prize tucked under his arm, handing the reins¹⁸ of the organization to a South Korean diplomat five years his junior. But he has hinted strongly that he will not leave the world stage completely. After a long vacation, he is said to be planning a return to public life, possibly as the head of a charitable organization.

1 ovations   

n.热烈欢迎( ovation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Everywhere they appeared there were ovations. 他们出现在哪儿，哪儿就是一片欢呼声。 来自辞典例句
• There were notable standing ovations for the Iraqi and the Palestinian teams. 而且引人注目的是，伊拉克和巴勒斯坦代表团还受到了持久的掌声欢迎。 来自互联网

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

8 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

12 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

13 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

14 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

18 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。