2006年VOA标准英语-Syrian Exiles Unite in Opposition to Presi

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
17 March 2006

A group of exiled Syrian opposition¹ leaders announced in Brussels Friday it had formed a united front aimed at toppling the government of President Bashar al-Assad through peaceful, democratic means. Lisa Bryant in Paris spoke² with one member of the front - former Syrian Vice³ President Abdel-Halim Khaddam, who is living in exile in Paris - and has this report for VOA.

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Abdel-Halim Khaddam
(file photo)  
  

Mr. Khaddam says change in Syria will happen peacefully - and it will happen quickly.

In a telephone interview, the former Syrian vice president predicts Mr. Assad and his government will be replaced within a matter of months. The Baath Party is not in control, he says. It has been used by the Assad family and by Syria's secret service.

Mr. Khaddam says the Syrian people are fed up, and they will take action. He says the new exiled opposition front - which is calling itself the National Salvation⁴ Front - has influence and sources in Syria. We were part of this structure, he says - referring to the Syrian government - and we know how to demolish⁵ it.

The new opposition front is made up of a variety of exiled opposition groups, including Islamists, Kurds, Communists and liberal groups. But Mr. Khaddam says the group is unified⁶ in wanting peaceful change. Its members have agreed a future Syrian government should be a civil one, and that religion will not play a major role.

A veteran member of Syria's Baath government, Mr. Khaddam resigned his post last June. He has since implicated⁷ President Assad in the assassination⁸ of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. He said Friday he believes a U.N. investigation⁹ into the assassination will soon announce a similar conclusion.

Syria denies involvement in Mr. Hariri's death.

President Assad and his vice president, Farouq al-Shara, have reportedly agreed to speak to U.N. investigators¹⁰ looking into Mr. Hariri's death.

1 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。

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 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。

4 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

5 demolish   

v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等)

参考例句：

• They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
• He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库，屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》