North, South Sudanese Envoys Start Abyei Talks

     Representatives(代表) from north and south Sudan are meeting Saturday to discuss the disputed Abyei region that was seized by northern forces a week ago.

    South Sudan Vice¹ President Riek Machar traveled to Khartoum Saturday in an effort to lower tensions with northern officials. The visit comes as envoys³ from the north and south were also expected to meet in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Abbas, in an attempt to end the crisis.

    Southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir has called for a complete withdrawal⁴ of Sudanese government forces from Abyei saying the south did not want to return to war.

    Southern officials say some 80,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, while United Nations officials say tens of thousands of people are living out in the open, with little food or fuel.

    The U.S. Special Envoy² for Sudan, Princeton Lyman, is heading to Qatar and then Sudan to discuss the Abyei situation.  He is expected to urge Sudanese officials to settle unresolved north-south issues before the south declares independence on July 19.

    Earlier this week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on the African Union to stress to both sides a military showdown over Abyei is not an option.

    The two sides have been at odds⁵ over the future of Abyei, an oil-rich region located on the north-south border.

    Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said the north-south border region will remain in northern hands.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？