2006年VOA标准英语-New US Envoy Begins First Mission to Sudan

By David Gollust
State Department
12 October 2006

The new U.S. special envoy¹ for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, is making his first visit to the African country to press leaders in Khartoum to accept a United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur. The former U.S. foreign aid administrator² was named to the envoy post last month.

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Andrew Natsios  
  
Officials here say it is a positive sign that Khartoum has apparently³ placed no limits on where Ambassador Natsios may travel, though they say this does not necessarily signal any easing of the Sudanese government's opposition⁴ to accepting the U.N. force for Darfur.

Natsios, who in his previous role as head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, made several trips to Sudan, is making his first mission there since being named by President Bush to the special envoy post September 19.

State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said Natsios would meet senior Sudanese officials in Khartoum and planned to visit the southern Sudanese regional capital of Juba as well as Darfur, in what he described as an assessment⁵ mission.

"He's going to assess the situation and try to push our policy position as well as the policy position of the Security Council, and that is to, as first step, allow U.N. peacekeepers into Sudan," he said. "He's probably going to be talking about implementation⁶ of the Darfur Peace Agreement as well as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement."

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement concluded in early 2005 ended Sudan's decades-long north-south civil war. The Darfur peace accord, signed last May in Nigeria, includes similar power-sharing arrangements but has not been implemented⁷, and violence in the region has been on the increase.

The U.N. Security Council voted at the end of August to set up a full-fledged U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur to replace the current African Union observer mission there.

Omar al-Bashir (June, 2006 photo)   
  
But the Arab-led Khartoum government of President Omar el-Bashir has refused to accept the U.N. force, which would be three times as large, and better equipped, than the seven thousand member AU mission.

In a policy speech two weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raised the threat of more international sanctions against Sudan if it did not halt military action in Darfur and unconditionally⁸ accept the U.N. force.

In a report Thursday in Brussels, the International Crisis Group, an influential⁹ organization, said patient diplomacy¹⁰ and trust in the Khartoum government's good faith has been a failure and that it is time for sanctions.

The ICG said sanctions should target Sudan's important oil sector¹¹ and include asset freezes and travel bans against key Sudanese leaders.

The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003, when local rebels took up arms against the Khartoum government, which supported Arab militiamen in scorched-earth warfare¹² in the region that led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people and displaced millions more.

Secretary Rice sought to enlist¹³ Arab pressure on Khartoum to accept the U.N. mission in her trip to the Middle East last week.

The Bush administration would like to see the U.N. force comprised mainly of troops from African, Arab and other Muslim countries to help allay¹⁴ Sudanese concerns about its intentions.

1 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。

2 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。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 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。

5 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？

6 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

7 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

8 unconditionally   

adv.无条件地

参考例句：

• All foreign troops must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. 所有外国军队必须立即无条件地撤出。
• It makes things very awkward to have your girls going back unconditionally just now! 你们现在是无条件上工，真糟糕！ 来自子夜部分

9 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

10 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。

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

13 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

14 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。