2006年VOA标准英语-Bush, NATO Leader Discuss Darfur

By Paula Wolfson
White House
20 March 2006
 
The situation in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan was on the agenda when President Bush met Monday with NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop¹ Scheffer. Mr. Bush wants the alliance to provide support for a proposed U.N. peacekeeping force.

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President Bush listens as Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, left, speaks to reporters  
  

NATO's secretary-general said the alliance is willing and able to help the U.N. in Darfur. "I am quite sure, as I told the president, that when the U.N. comes, the NATO allies will be ready to do more in enabling the United Nations force in Darfur," he said.

The White House has been pressing NATO, which already provides some limited support for African Union forces in Darfur, to play a greater role when the AU transfers peacekeeping duties to the United Nations.

That transfer is still in flux², and the NATO leader did not mention specific steps the alliance might take to back-up the U.N. All the same, the secretary-general's words were welcomed by President Bush, who told reporters that during a telephone conversation earlier this year he urged NATO to take a lead role in Dafur.

"The first time I made the phone call to the secretary-general, he fully³ understood the challenge, fully understood the need," said President Bush, "and it was great to work with a friend in peace to devise a strategy on how to move forward."

The president went on to caution that a great deal must happen before the U.N. moves into Darfur. He said the African Union still must formally request a transfer of peacekeeping responsibilities. "If that is done, NATO can move in with United States' help - inside of NATO - to make it clear to the Sudanese government that we are intent upon providing security for the people there, and intent upon helping⁴ work toward a lasting⁵ peace agreement."

The fighting in Darfur has been going on for three years, involving rebels, government forces and government-backed militias⁶. The United Nations calls it the world's greatest humanitarian⁷ crisis, and estimates that 200,000 people have died in the fighting and two million others have been displaced.

1 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

2 flux   

n.流动；不断的改变

参考例句：

• The market is in a constant state of flux.市场行情在不断变化。
• In most reactors,there is a significant flux of fast neutrons.在大部分反应堆中都有一定强度的快中子流。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 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。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 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。