2006年VOA标准英语-Some Say More Should be Done to Help Darfu

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
14 April 2006
 
watch Darfur report

  
  

The Darfur region of Sudan is in the midst of genocide.  Diplomats² have so far failed to stop the tragedy, citing that country's complex mix of colonial history, tribal³ warfare⁴, corruption⁵, bureaucracy, and foreign interests.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky reports that some Americans currently and previously⁶ involved in Darfur are calling on the United States to make a better effort at finding a solution.

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Darfur, baby under tent 
  

Nearly 200,000 people have been killed and another two million have been left homeless Darfur.  And the situation appears to be getting worse.  UN officials say it is becoming more difficult to deliver food and to maintain security in Darfur, where only about 7,000 African Union troops are trying to keep peace in a territory about as large as France.  

In a public discussion at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, DC, former Pentagon spokesman Ken⁷ Bacon said Americans should ask whether the U.S. Darfur policy is working.

"Our policy has been conflicted and I think very unclear toward the regime, because we have cooperated with them in one respect on intelligence and anti-terrorism, while trying to condemn⁸ them for being genocidists on the other side.

Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick says the United States has contributing about $1.3 billion per year to Sudan, but not for the Darfur security operation.  The State Department official says that's because the U.S. government is set up to fund only United Nations peacekeeping operations.

"And since your budgets are developed years in advance, when we had to put together basically eleven, $12 million a month for this operation, we had no money.  So frankly⁹, I and my colleagues have been raiding various accounts in the State Department and reallocating things to try to do this."

Zoellick says the State Department tried and failed late last year to get $50 million from Congress specifically for Darfur, though he says lawmakers may yet approve a supplemental appropriation¹⁰ this year of $173 million.

The director of foreign policy studies at Brookings, former diplomat¹ Carlos Pascual, noted¹¹ the difficulty of getting concerted United Nations action in Darfur because individual nations use their Security Council veto powers to protect vested interests. 

"There are some countries such as China that have very specific financial interests in Sudan.  There is Russia that has a concern about how it votes on any of these questions because of the precedent¹² that it creates for scrutiny¹³ of internal conflicts."

Pascual said individual Americans should maintain pressure on Congress to allocate¹⁴ the funds needed to help the people of Darfur.

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 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。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

8 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

9 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

10 appropriation   

n.拨款，批准支出

参考例句：

• Our government made an appropriation for the project.我们的政府为那个工程拨出一笔款项。
• The council could note an annual appropriation for this service.议会可以为这项服务表决给他一笔常年经费。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

13 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

14 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。