AS IT IS 2016-03-04 Assad: Syrian Ceasefire a 'Glimmer of Hope'

AS IT IS 2016-03-04 Assad: Syrian Ceasefire a 'Glimmer¹ of Hope'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Tuesday the suspension of fighting in his country after five years of war is, in his words, a “glimmer of hope.”

The Syrian leader spoke² on German television. He said his government will work to make the ceasefire permanent.

Pro-government fighters and opposition³ forces in Syria have agreed to stop fighting. But the ceasefire does not include Islamic State militants⁴ or supporters of Jabhat al-Nusra, a group linked to al-Qaida.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the next few days are very important to strengthening the truce⁵ and ending the conflict. He spoke to reporters Monday in Washington.

Kerry said he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agree there have been some violations⁶ of the truce since it began on Saturday. But he said they do not want to talk about them publicly. He said a group led by the United States and Russia will investigate every reported violation⁷ and urge all sides to honor the truce agreement.

Kerry said it is a difficult process, “but the fact is that we need to stop the cycle of fighting and of bloodshed that is destroying Syria. It is that simple.”

On Monday, Syrian rebels reported that government forces attacked opposition-controlled villages and towns 26 times.

Riad Hijab is the top negotiator for the rebels. In a letter to the United Nations, he said the Syrian government “has continued to target populated areas using helicopter raids using explosive barrels, resulting in a large number of fatalities⁸ and causing significant injuries, most of whom were innocent women and children.”

On Sunday, Hijab said Russian fighter jets launched 26 air strikes on territory held by opposition groups, which have agreed to stop fighting.

Rebels say a map released at the beginning of the truce by the Russian Ministry⁹ of Defense¹⁰ is filled with mistakes. The map is said to show the positions of moderate opposition groups in Syria. The rebels have asked the UN to make a new map.

On Sunday, Russian ceasefire monitors said they have recorded nine violations of the truce. They blamed rebels for most of them.

Separately on Monday, the U.N. and aid groups began transporting supplies to areas that need them. They hope to reach more than 150,000 Syrians in areas that have been affected¹¹ by the fighting.

Yacoub El Hillo is the UN humanitarian¹² chief for Syria. He said “the (ceasefire) is the best opportunity that the Syrian people have had over the last five years for lasting¹³ peace and stability.”

Staffan de Mistura is the special UN diplomat¹⁴ for Syria. He has said that if the truce remains¹⁵ in effect and aid groups continue to be able to bring supplies to areas that need them he will restart Syrian peace talks on March 9. That is two days later than the date he set earlier.

A UN spokesman said the delay was needed to let officials deal with “logistical and practical matters.”

Words in This Story

glimmer – n. a small amount or sign of something

bloodshed - n. violence

fatalities - n. deaths resulting from an accident or violence

opportunity - n. chance; likelihood

stability - n. the quality of something that is not easily changed

1 glimmer   

v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光

参考例句：

• I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。
• A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

2 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。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

6 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

7 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

8 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

14 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。

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。