2006年VOA标准英语-Somalia Talks Collapse, Tensions Mount

By Noel King
Khartoum
02 November 2006

Reconciliation¹ talks in Khartoum between Somalia's transitional government and Islamists who control much of the country have ended before the rival parties even met face-to-face.

On Wednesday, the Somali talks deteriorated² into a round of accusations³ and insults.   

 
Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf  
  
The Somali government delegation⁴ accused Islamists of attempting to murder Somalia's president, and forming hit squads⁵ to assassinate⁶ other Somali leaders.

Islamists dismissed the charges, calling them absurd.

At day's end, diplomatic mediators were exhausted⁷ and frustrated⁸ by the lack of progress.

Rina Kristmoen of the Norwegian Embassy in Kenya said the talks were a disappointment to the international community.

"We hope they will commit themselves to meet again," he said.  "They know the situation on the ground is critical. It was important for them to meet now in order to reduce tension and to be able to continue this dialogue is so important. It is very unfortunate that they did not agree to meet."

Abdirahman Janaqow, deputy chairman of Somalia's Islamic Courts, says peace talks with government collapsed⁹ because of administration's ties to Ethiopia   
  
Following their arrival in Khartoum on Monday, the Islamist delegation said they would not meet with government representatives until Ethiopian troops leave Somalia.

Ethiopia's presence in the embattled nation has long been a source of tension. 

Islamists accuse Ethiopia of sending troops into Somalia to bolster¹⁰ the struggling government army.

The Somali government admits a few Ethiopian soldiers have entered the nation, but characterizes them as military trainers, rather than fighters.

Islamist leaders on Wednesday defended themselves against accusations that they are not the legitimate¹¹ leaders of Somalia, despite controlling much of the country.

Head of the Islamist delegation, Ibrahim Hassan Addou, told reporters that the Islamic courts have popular support.

"Our record speaks for itself," he said.  "We have created the stability and peace that the entire world could not do. Now the Somali people know the value of the Islamic courts and the quality of the leadership of the Islamic courts. We don't want to spend time on cheap propaganda."

Observers now worry that war in Somalia appears imminent¹².

Eritrean and Ethiopian forces are both present in the nation. Observers fear the start of a proxy¹³ war between the long-time rivals, with Somalia as the battleground.

The Islamic Courts seized much of southern Somalia, including the capital, Mogadishu, in June.

The nation has been without a functioning government since 1991, when warlords toppled dictator, Mohammed Siad Barre.

1 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

2 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

3 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

4 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

5 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

6 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

7 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

8 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

10 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

11 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

12 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

13 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。