111 巴基斯坦向印度做出友善表示

Musharraf Makes Pre-Summit Goodwill Gesture
Jon Tkach
Islamabad
5 Jul 2001 03:56 UTC

Pakistan's military government has ordered the release of an Indian peace 1)activist, who was arrested more than a year ago when he entered the country from Afghanistan by bicycle. The government called the activist's release a 2)goodwill 3)gesture ahead of next weeks' summit with India.
Vikas Singh was arrested in the northern town of Peshawar for entering Pakistan without a 4)visa, and was sentenced to three years in prison.
But on Wednesday, military leader General Musharraf ordered the activist's release, just a week ahead of an historic trip to India aimed at resolving the 5)dispute over Kashmir.
The military government's main 6)spokesman, Major General Rashid Qureshi, says the case just recently came to the general's attention. "And he thought it would be a gesture of goodwill and would better improve the atmosphere for talks between India and Pakistan, General Qureshi said.
Indian and Pakistani news media reported on Mr. Singh's case as the July 14 summit grew closer, and there were calls from both sides of the border for his release.
General Musharraf has repeatedly called for a 7)toning down of the 8)rhetoric between India and Pakistan ahead of the talks over Kashmir, and both sides have said they are optimistic about the summit.
But neither Pakistan nor India, which both claim the 9)mountainous region of Kashmir, has hinted that it is willing to give much ground in the dispute.
The rivals have fought two full-blown wars over Kashmir, and their last dialogue was scuttled in 1999, when intense border fighting broke out there, taking them again to the 10)brink of war.

(1) activist[5AktIvIst]n.激进主义分子, 行动主义分子
(2) goodwill[^Jd5wIl]n.善意, 亲切
(3) gesture[5dVestFE(r)]n.姿态, 手势, 表示v.作手势, 以手势表示
(4) visa[ `vi:zE ]n.签证vt.签准
(5) dispute[dI5spju:t]v.争论, 辩论,抗拒n.争论, 辩论, 争吵
(6) spokesman[5spEJksmEn]n.发言人, 代表者
(7) tone down v.降低, 柔和, 缓和
(8) rhetoric[5retErIk]adj.花言巧语的
(9) mountainous[5maJntInEs]adj.多山的, 山一般的, 巨大的
(10) brink[brINk]n.(峭岸、崖的)边缘